Welcome to the 21st century

In case you didn’t get the memo, I got an iPhone tonight and I’m having tons o’ fun playing around with it, downloadding apps, etc.- including the wordpress app I’m currently using.

Oh, and I got DVR too. I’m sooooo 21st century!

When Blogs Collide

I don’t usually write about work here. Partly for privacy reasons, but mostly because I just don’t think that my work life is all that interesting.

But today was different.

Today, I published my very first work-related blog post.  The post will be included in tomorrow’s e-mail newsletter that goes out to over 100,000 subscribers each week. 

Now, I’ll stop short of calling myself a “professional writer”, but it was certainly invigorating to get paid for writing as myself,  instead of a nameless, faceless copywriter.   And I got the chance to write about two of my favorite subjects:  myself and writing!

Please take a minute to read the post (and maybe even comment?)   Yes, I’m super proud to be “published,”  but I’m also really excited about the content.  I think the National Day on Writing has the potential to be a far-reaching and very successful initiative for my organization.

I hope all of my blogging  friends and readers will consider posting something to the gallery– a favorite blog post, a slide show of your kids, an heirloom recipe, whatever.  I also hope you’ll think about ways to get your groups involved– church groups, civic groups, families, etc. are all invited to start galleries and display their writing.

Don’t worry– I’m sure I’ll write about it again!

I heart blogging!!

For my blogger friends

Do you ever find blogging to be a chore?

This is the first day I’ve had ALL to myself for probably 6 weeks now.  I’ve cleaned, worked on my taxes, messed around on facebook, etc.  I  have a mile-long list of chores that aren’tgetting done as well–including 4 or 5 partially written blog posts.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy blogging… or that I don’t have any ideas, it has just become one of those “bottom of the list” items.  I have 3 weekends of picture posts to put up and at least one response to something I read on someone else’s blog.  But, instead, I’m sitting here debating between posting something, starting the 3rd Twilight book (finally) and taking a nap.

I know that I need to post more often to keep my small (but reliable) readers, but I’m just not feelin’ it.  Any tips?

Alive. Busy. Tired.

I’m still here… and I have tons to blog about, but I don’t have time to make anything more than a list.  So, here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Dog-sitting: for my mom last week and for a friend this week
• Locking myself out of my car while dog-sitting
• Re-training Roxie (again!)
• Struggling with Evite.  If you haven’t received 15 messages from me about my 30 days of 30 and want to participate, let me know.  Everyone else– sorry for the ridiculous number of emails. I’m blaming Evite
• Oh, and work and Christmas and all that other stuff

Each of these things could (and might) become a blog post in their own right, but I’m too flippin’ tired right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  Maybe not.

——–
Oh, and BTW– for those of you who have recently told me you’re reading my blog… thank you! It’s nice to know I have readers, even if they’re just lurking.  So holla and let me know that you’re there.

San Antonio Stories, Part 1: Strangers on a Plane

I’ve been back from San Antonio for almost 2 weeks and I still haven’t blogged about it.  I had planned on doing a single post-San Antone wrap-up, but it’s just not happening.    Therefore, I’ll try to post the highlights separately. 

First up: the plane ride there!

Believe it or not, I actually DON’T like to talk to people on planes (surprising, I know!).  So, when I saw that I was sitting next to this frat-boy type (track pants, Texas A&M pullover), I promptly turned on my iPod and opened a book.

Turns out, this guy *is* a talker and I ended up having a great conversation with him.  He owns a software company based in Argentina and was doing some work in Danville.  He had spent quite a bit of time in San Antonio and gave me some restaurant tips (which I was unable to use) and I gave him the name of my very fave place in New Orleans.  

We talked for the duration of the 3 hour flight about everything—travelling, family, music, college football.   He told me all about Argentina and said he writes a blog about his experiences while traveling.  In perfect “missed opportunity” fashion, I never asked for the blog address.  Or his last name.   (Chill your jets, kids, he’s married—this isn’t a love connection).

At one point in the conversation, he asked me what year I graduated from college.  He said he graduated in the same year.  Here is this guy who owns his own software company, has travelled the world and frequently gets booked as a speaker at conventions and he’s the EXACT SAME AGE as I am. 

Eek. Nothing like meeting a stranger on a plane to make you feel like a big ole loser!

Searching… Searching… Searching…

I’m obsessed with my blog stats.  I like to see how many people are coming to my blog every day and how they get here (don’t worry… As much as I’d love to know exactly who is reading the blog, I don’t get that kind of information).  

One of my favorite blog stats is the Search Terms.  It tells you what words people put into Google (or yahoo or wherever) to find your blog.  Although some of them are pretty obvious, some are HILARIOUS!  Who would’ve thought, for example, that exercise is the #1 search term for my blog or that someone got here by looking for sonogram magazines or sex cyclists.

Here are the top search terms for my blog over the last month and the posts where I think they probably landed. (Note that the entries marked “image search” are likely just people looking for an image that I embedded in the post… almost always an image that I “borrowed” from someone else using the same “search and steal” method)

exercise	Any number of posts about boot camp, running, etc.
the soup	My Own Personal Soup
bored	Image search (?)  I think they probably ended up here:  Still Bored
office space	Someone Has a Case of the Tuesdays!
carich blogs	People searching for me by name!!
carichblogs	And Again!
yearbook yourself	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself (one of my all-time fave posts)
bad morning	Friday Freewrite (image search)
workout posters	Fit/Fat Camp: Day 1  (image search)
poetry	April is National Poetry Month: And I don’t care!
joel mchale	My Own Personal Soup
nirvana smile	Randomness, for sure (funny b/c the image is gone from this post now)
silver heels	Website Wednesday: Zappos.com
pauly bleeker	You Know…Juno
yearbook yourself similar site	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
yearbook	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
suck	”I”ll take things that suck for $100, please”
the soup joel mchale	My Own Personal Soup
yearbookyourself similar	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
exercise pictures	I’m not 100% sure, but probably Fit/Fat Camp: Day 1  (image search)
exercise images	Fit/Fat Camp: Day 1  (image search)
same of yearbook yourself	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
chris tucker off friday	It’s Friday, Craig
yearbook yourself similar	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
pretty girls suck	NO CLUE.  Maybe Things that Suck?  But it doesn’t mention pretty girls (?)
be productive at work photo	Friday Freewrite (image search)
mad men	Mad about Mad Men or I Love Mad Men
ragweed leaving tennessee	Musical Xanax
couch to 5k	Couch to 5K
things that suck	I’ll Take Things that Suck for $100, please
chris tucker movies	It’s Friday, Craig
joel mchale the soup	My Own Personal Soup
best weed movies	It’s Friday, Craig
sonogram magazines	Weirdest.Search.Ever.  The only place the word “sonogram” appears in this blog is in the Juno post.
fat people watching tv	Not sure.  Best guess:  Weight Loss TV
gym posters	I’m not 100% sure, but probably Fit/Fat Camp: Day 1  (image search)
sites similar to yearbook yourself	Website Wednesday: Yearbook Yourself
foto happy birthday	Ahh… this is why Foto Friday: Happy Birthday Granny/ie is popular!
so fuck you, and fuck nashville, i’m lea	Musical Xanax
maxine funny rude images	Freewriting Frenzy (image search)
old bike	Not sure. Probably one of my biking posts (?)
maxine dieting cartoons	Freewriting Frenzy (image search)
jennifer irwin sexy	Election Day Poll: Which Celebrity do I Resemble?
i need a vacation really bad	Not 100% sure, but maybe the Summer Staycation post?
foto granny	Foto Friday: Happy Birthday Granny/ie
old workout poster	Fit/Fat Camp: Day 1  (image search)
halloween american foto 2008	Foto Friday: Happy Halloween
sex cyclist	No clue, but this is the funniest one to me.  Probably a cycling post!!

With a show of hands…

WordPress has added a polling feature so I thought it would be fun to let you– my devoted blog readers– choose the topic of my next post.  Now, I realize there are only about 4 of you, so vote early and vote often.  Stuff the ballot box if you’d like…   I will write the chosen post later this week!

101 Weird Food Quirks

This is my 101st post on this blog.  Some people celebrate 100 posts by listing 100 things about themselves.   Since I’m me, I’ve decided to take it a slightly different direction and list 101 food “quirks”– my likes, dislikes and all around weird habits.   This is by no means a comprehensive list, but gives you a little peek into the weirdness that is me!

1.    I don’t like my food to touch.
2.    I like cheese. I like chicken. I do not like cheese on chicken.
3.    Similarly, I like cheese. I like peanut butter.  But I do not like them together.  Those little cheese and PB crackers are especially problematic.
4.    As a rule, I don’t eat white, creamy foods such as sour cream, cream cheese, whipped cream, etc.  I’ll occasionally eat mayonnaise and I can handle some of these things mixed in. Just not on their own.
5.    I won’t eat eggs unless they’re made at home.

Believe it or not…

I don’t have wireless.  Or TiVo.  I generally blog in my spare bedroom/office until it’s time for “my shows” to come on.  Then I stop writing, head to the couch (oftentimes with my laptop), and finish my posts later.  Until Jon Stewart comes on, and then I have to stop again.

I only have about 5 TV shows right now that I *have* to watch every week (The Rachel Zoe Project, Project Runway, Mad Men and Entourage),  but with work, boot camp, running, household chores and somewhat of a social life, this leaves precious little time for blogging.    

It would be so much easier if I could just multitask and watch TV and write at the same time. Or Tivo my favorite shows to watch in my non-blogging time.   Maybe that’s a better solution.  ’Cuz I have a feeling that if I had wireless, I’d *never* get offline.  Ever.

And I thought *I* was a meta-blogger

The guys over at Wired magazine are blogging about the creation of an upcoming article on screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), who is making his directorial debut with the movie Synecdoche, New York.

http://blog.wired.com/storyboard/

By ”peeling back the curtain” on their own creative processes, the Wired guys are creating the ultimate meta-blog, culminating in the actual print story, scheduled to run in the November issue.  What a fascinating and mind-blowing concept and unique insight into the world of magazine production.

Or–at the very least– great promotion for both the issue and the movie.