Tuesday, March 31, 2009

can't not blog

This blog has been transferred to WordPress and can be found here:

can't not blog

Thank you for updating your links. :)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

VOTE or STFU


CafePress has a new political design contest, where you can create your own t-shirt message in minutes and submit it for a chance to win pretty huge prizes.

Although I have entered a few of my own ideas, I want you to vote for a design that is NOT mine. There are many designs that do not deserve to be a finalist (any reference of a specific candidate is disallowed), but this one does:

Don't Pants America

Click the "stars" graphic below the image to rate the design with 1 to 5 stars.

There are a lot of ignorant and hateful designs up; names spelled wrong and brutal language. I haven't seen the N-word used in reference to one candidate, but I've seen the C-word used in reference to another. There is so much ignorance out there.

What is worse: there is so much APATHY as well.

"Who cares?" Are you serious?

People died so YOU can vote. People continue to die, today, fighting for the same freedoms we in America too often take for granted.

Do vote, but don't choose a candidate based on rumors, lies, age, gender, color, religion, sex appeal, net worth or popularity. Visit non-biased sites like FactCheck.org and OnTheIssues.org to see what each candidate is DOING versus what they are SAYING.

Then, either VOTE or STFU for the next 4 years.

I'm XP and I approve this message.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

I'm anti-anti-everything.

I'm against groups that are against farming. Meat is not "murder," and milk is not "raped" from cows. Make no mistake—animal rights groups don't want us eating only cage-free eggs, they want us eating NO eggs. Most American families are now two generations removed from the farm, and not accustomed to the lifestyle but also ignorant when it comes to livestock.

At the county fair I saw a "bony" dairy cow that even I thought at first looked too thin, but the owner was very helpful and explained how the animal's metabolism worked, and that if the cow was not in optimum health, she would not have award-winning milk production. I walked away feeling a little foolish for a "farm girl" not having known that.

Raising our own laying hens has given me a much better appreciation for chickens than I had before, and I can see why beak trimming (denounced as cruel "de-beaking" by activists) is not only not barbaric but quite beneficial; it helps keep more aggressive hens from viciously attacking the more passive ones. Even though free-range and not caged, the chickens show us daily where the term "pecking order" comes from.

When regulations in place for humane treatment of livestock are violated, it is often the huge "factory" farms under intense pressure to produce volume over quality, at the cheapest cost. However, activists also target the small family farm whose animals receive individual care.

I'm against groups that are against horse slaughter. I don't think it is right to tell my neighbor that it is okay for me to eat of the cow, and the pig, and the chicken, but not okay for him to eat horse. I have no interest in eating a horse steak, but some people do, and that's their business, not mine. I don't think our government should command that Americans are not allowed to eat a specific animal for emotional rather than logical reasons.

I also don't think our government should keep wild-caught horses in long-term holding pens for 10, 15, even 20 years at great expense to all taxpayers. I think these unwanted horses that are passed over by prospective adopters numerous times and unsuitable to return to the wild should be humanely euthanized, without drugs, so that the meat can be used for feeding zoo animals, domestic pets, or even disadvantaged people who are willing to substitute horse burger for beef. It would be better to sell these carcasses to the foreign markets paying a premium for a horse steak, funding the ailing wild horse program for years to come, than to leave the same animals in pens until they die because some special interest has determined that is the only acceptable fate.

I read a petition that insisted we both release the captive wild horses and end mountain lion hunting as well ... showing their belief that a "natural" death, no matter how brutal or prolonged, is preferable to a humane kill inflicted by a human. Incredible.

I'm against groups that are against hunting. Any non-vegetarian anti-hunter is simply a hypocrite. My venison is not any more dead than your poultry or beef. It is silly to determine what is and isn't food based on a "cuteness" factor. I prefer to eat an animal that has grown up in the wild, eating natural foodstuffs, to one that was possibly injected with or fed growth hormones and chemicals... also why I prefer to buy meat locally when I can. You pay more for products from small family farms, but you know what you're getting.

Unlike the Fudd stereotype, most hunters practice year-round so they can make a quick, humane kill. The injured animal that animal rights groups will promote on their posters and campaigns is the rare exception, not the rule. Worse, they have been known to stage such photos—such as a deer with an arrow sticking out of it—to further their cause.


Legislation should not be based on emotion, but on logic and fact.

Legislation should not criminalize freedom of choice.

I agree with many viewpoints shared by the animal welfare groups regarding humane treatment of companion animals and livestock. I am not pro-cruelty simply because I am anti-PETA, anti-HSUS and against other groups that share their beliefs. But I will not support these organizations that would take your money on the premise of saving puppies and kittens while using it to lobby our government to take away our neighbors' rights.

I'm XP and I approve this message.

Monday, September 08, 2008

happy monday

And this is how Gmail greets me.


That's not a good sign.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Alltel Corporate Store

10:20 a.m. Enter Alltel store. Greeted with a friendly "Welcome to Alltel!" by an associate helping another customer. Position in line: 3. Annoyance factor: 2.

10:45 a.m. Finally addressed by associate just clocking in for the day. Annoyance factor: 5.

10:47 a.m. Exhibit A: dead phone. Associate establishes phone is D.O.A. and inquires as to cause of death. Unknown, but likely related to obvious cosmetic damage. Places me on corded landline with insurance agent of ancientness.

11:04 a.m. Discover that the insurance on dead phone has been wrong ever since I swapped it with my teenst when associate announces that dead phone will be $95 to replace. NUH-UH. No, fix that. Not my fault. Fix now. Annoyance factor: 9.

11:12 a.m. End call with agent. Associate checks status: FAIL. Agent did not validate claim, no can has new fonez. Calls insurance again. I wait. Annoyance factor: invalid entry.

11:24 a.m. Leave Alltel store with new phone and $50 lighter than 10 minutes ago. Teenst must not break new fonez no more. 6,000 minutes a month = too much minutes. Phone did not get broken, it simply gave up.

Friday, August 22, 2008

make millions online ... or $7 ...

Although I hear all the time about affiliate marketers making a living by blogging and using other Web 2.0 technology, I'm happy to be able to pay for my high-speed internet and a few other monthly household bills with the $100-300 I usually get from my various pursuits on the sprawling Web world.

Hopefully I can double that in the coming months with a new relationship:


Pepperjam is new and different. Unlike established performance marketing companies like Commission Junction and LinkShare (both well worth joining, in my experience) Pepperjam is offering $7 for each new publisher you refer.


What is a publisher? Well, I am, and more than likely you are as well.

Do you have a blog with Wordpress or Blogger? Do you have a Squidoo account? (You should.) Do you post on message boards that allow HTML and commercial links? If so, you can be a publisher too.
  • First, you join the Pepperjam network as a publisher.
  • Then, you get your own code to post online where allowed.
NOTE: You're not just promoting Pepperjam ... there are hundreds of companies to choose from, including VistaPrint, AngiesList and more!
  • All that's left to do is watch your bank or PayPal account for your commission ... right?
Well, there is a bit more to affiliate marketing, or performance marketing if you will. Self-promotion is the biggest part. Get out there, get people talking. Don't always agree with everything that everyone says. Stand out. People might not love you, but they'll think about you. ;)


How much do these affiliates pay?
Well, it varies.


For instance, ChristianCafe.com pays 40% commission on sales. Booksfree.com pays a flat $18 bounty for new sign-ups.

Promote the products and services you choose ... the ones that are related to your Web content are most effective! If you're all about candy, promote Jelly Belly! Or, maybe Playboy Store is more your style ... go wild!


Hold up. You said they're new ... how do I know they will last, and that I'll get paid for my time?


Check this:
Pepperjam Breaks Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the United States According to Inc. Magazine

Pepperjam’s 2008 Inc. 500 ranking is #70 with three-year revenue growth of 2,447.5%. Pepperjam is also the fastest growing affiliate marketing network on the list.

As companies shift marketing attention and dollars to the Internet, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media buying become increasingly important.

Pepperjam's CEO, Kristopher Jones: "Whether it was eBay shocking the world just a few months back after launching an affiliate program on Pepperjam Network to long-time Pepperjam clients such as Guthy Renker Corporation (thanks Dave!) and 1-800-PetMeds (thanks Alex!) that have been with Pepperjam for almost 4 years, the committment and support we continue to receive from our client base is outstanding!"

That's enough for me.

(Well, that, and the seven bucks I'll get if you click this link and join.)

Join the Affiliate Revolution.

Friday, July 25, 2008

I love my flair.



Become my friend and send me some ... I'll return the favor.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

DO NOT WANT

What's your favorite Web site?


I'm thinking of downsizing. I have several sites and stores.

I have too many logins, too many passwords, and can't keep all of my projects up to date.

I'm starting to think that it is possible that I spend ... *gasp* ... too much time online (again).

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Garr.

I think there are too much Internets.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

bad blogger; bad CP'er too

I've been neglectful of my fans stalkers friends.

I'm trying to remedy that.

Why, just last night and today, I added new designs to the freelief.com shop.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

PIE BALLS

I don't post personal stuff tooooo much (ha yeah right) ...
but this was too good to leave on my underutilized
Myspace bulletin list to fade away after 10 days.


How do you know when you've found
"the one"—your true love?


Was watching Juno tonight with the girls (note: good movie for socially mature DD-15, not so much for boy-crazy DD-10 who needs to not date until she's 30) and my pirate husband walked in on the mushy-mushiest part. (Mush always makes him groan; he runs and hides in the man cave when I bring home chick flicks. DS-13 was also noticably absent.)

So, enjoying his tormented wretching like a good sadistic wife,
I asked him if the sun shines out of my butt.

He said yeah, he gets a tan from the rays.

That was golden. :D

Everyone needs to have a love like this at least once in their lives—a "forever" love—the kind where you can totally see yourselves as old farts chasing each other around the nursing home with your canes and walkers or wheelchairs.

The kind where those little flaws in all of us are more adorable than annoying because they make you real.

Now, you might not find it when you want to.

You might not find it in your teens, or in your twenties. Maybe not even in your thirties. (God forbid you never find it, though. I don't think there is anything cuter in this world than really old couples who are still twitterpated.)

You might even find it and then throw it away. But if you're lucky—really damn lucky—you'll find that it was never really lost at all, just ... ripening.

I am THE luckiest mentally imbalanced pirate princess evarrrrr.

Monday, April 28, 2008

See horse walk. Walk, horse. Walk.

For those 2 or 3 people who can't get enough of badly blurred, really shaky video of my horse gaiting (walking fast) up and down the road, poorly edited with odd music choices to kill the background wind and whining, here you go ... 10 minutes of enjoyment, broken down into 14 easy-loading segments:

Clip 1 ~ Clip 2 ~ Clip 3 ~ Clip 4 ~ Clip 5 ~ Clip 6 ~ Clip 7 ~ Clip 8 ~ Clip 9 ~ Clip 10 ~ Clip 11 ~ Clip 12 ~ Clip 13 ~ Clip 14


(By the way, the driver of the vehicle that passes at the end of Clip 11 and is chased in Clip 12 says I was going 30 MPH ... I'm guessing that's a little high, but my best try at feet-per-second [based on the fence posts spaced at 20 foot intervals] to MPH calculation landed me in the low to mid 20's.)

(Slightly more interesting to most: If you really watch for it, at the beginning of Clip 12, that possible 0 to 20 MPH transition in just a fraction of a second, nearly leaves my ass in the dirt.)

Thanks for any YouTube comments and ratings ... I rarely seem to get any.

I blame the videographer.


;)

Monday, April 21, 2008

I've been Twitterpated!

Follow me: @squidprincess

My current top ranking lens at Squidoo is all about Twitter!
Squidoo.com/TwitterFun

You'll love it, especially if you are random like me. :)

You can also follow: @freelief, @Family Twigs, @All Horses and @iHope Shop

Friday, April 04, 2008

Squidmark this.

Friend me on Facebook: XP Squid

Fan me on Facebook Ads: freelief.com designs

Fan me on Facebook Ads: iHope Shop

Just go with it, play along.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Monday, February 04, 2008

horsey folks, and anyone new to Squidoo

The ALL HORSES Squidoo group is still looking for "experts" to write about specific topics.

I'm in the process of writing a very detailed "how-to" guide for first-time Squidoo users. Check the progress here:


Make sure to start with the FIRST entry, and move down the list of posts in order!

There is a link to the ALL HORSES group within the blog. :)

MANDATORY spay or neuter of your pets?!

Hell to the no.

Information and links to both sides of this controversial new law in LA.

(Could be coming to a state near you.)

Monday, January 28, 2008

What do YOU know, anyway?

I've been migrating pages from my website to Squidoo, because ... well, getting more traffic, and getting paid, simply sounds good to me!

from the site:
What's Squidoo? Squidoo is the free (yes, free), simple tool that makes it easy for you to publish your passions online and share real, human recommendations on the web. From authors and astronauts to marketers and musicians, to cat lovers and seahorse keepers and quiltmakers and video gamers and teachers and... well, everyone... anyone with something to say, share, promote and recommend is welcome on Squidoo.

No idea what to write about? Write about what you know. Write about something you're passionate about. Review a great book. Warn people away from a horrible movie. Introduce someone to your hobby.

Not a pro at webpage coding? No problem. Squidoo has these doo-dads called "modules" that do most of the work for you. Headers and links, bulleted lists and more, made simple.

Still stumped? Check out the Top 100 Lenses of the day. But please remember to sign up and create your first lens with my referral link and you'll get a bonus $5.00. (I only get paid if YOU do, so I have every reason to want to help you succeed!)



Getting started:

Don't be afraid! Check out this lens made by the founder of Squidoo: Why Build a Lens?

The best way to learn to do Squidoo, is to simply DO IT. You will quickly get the hang of adding, moving and editing "modules" and what each one looks like and does.

This lens has some dated screen shots, but the basics should be covered: How to Make Your First Squidoo Lens

Visit some of the high-ranked pages (check out some of the Top 100 lenses) and see how the successful people build their lenses.

Here is a beginners guide to the limited HTML coding that is supported within select modules.

Ready for more? This lens is about Building a Successful Lens ... get comfortable with the basics first!

Remember to use my
REFERRAL LINK
to get the $5.00 bonus!