More Dorking Around: What Tarot Card Are You?

Here's some fun from Heather:

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Want to learn more about investing?

I have been interested in the financial world for a while. But let's face it, for the newbie, it can be somewhat intimidating, especially if you don't have a lot of money. Once again, you gotta love the internet. There's a site called Stockwire.com that aims to make things easier for the "microcap and small cap investor". I had to put that last phrase in quotation marks, because I really had no idea what it meant. I figured it was small, because they are also called "penny stocks".

I'll take a moment here to educate both of us. The U.S. Securities Exchange Commission Website defines Micro Cap stocks as such, "The term 'microcap stock' applies to companies with low or 'micro' capitalizations, meaning the total value of the company's stock. Microcap companies typically have limited assets. For example, in cases where the SEC suspended trading in microcap stocks, the average company had only $6 million in net tangible assets — and nearly half had less than $1.25 million. Microcap stocks tend to be low priced and trade in low volumes."

See, the key here at the end was "low priced" and "trade in low volumes". That means most people can affort them. However, they can be a bit of a gamble, so you need to make sure you do your homework before you invest, even if it is just "pennies". That's where stockwire.com can be helpful.

They have a lot of resources for you to use to learn more. You can:

• Watch video tutorials on how to invest in Penny Stocks.


• Read more on their blog.


• Research stock profiles and market data


• Connect with other members in their Traders Lounge


• Get regular E-newsletters (and access past issues)

You'll find most of these features are only available once you become a member. But the great news is, membership is completely free! The site itself is very professional and high-tech. It's also got a cool Web 2.0 vibe with lots of pictures, videos, and interactive elements. Check it out.



~t

Coming to a future near you: Pluto in Capricorn

I've been reorganizing my online life a little bit more lately. I've been using Google Reader to read more blogs lately and one I really like but always forgot to go to is a great little astrology blog called The Pisces Chronicle by fellow Washington Stater, Pat Paquette. I've not met Pat, but perhaps someday I will. I've been doing a bit of back-reading tonight. She points out a great astrology article in Vanity Fair about the long ranging effects of Pluto for the United States. I thought it was fascinating. And Vanity Fair. And astrology. How cool. Check it!

~t

Ten Chimneys

Before I was gainfully unemployed I worked at Ten Chimneys. It's hard to explain what Ten Chimneys is, easily. It's many things to many people. Originally, Ten Chimneys was the estate of 20th century Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It was their home, their summer retreat, the place where they created, entertained, and relaxed. Their friends came to stay and enjoy the renowned hospitality of Lynn and Alfred. These were people like Noel Coward, Helen Hayes, Laurence Olivier, Katharine Hepburn and other luminaries of the day.

Lynn and Alfred built Ten Chimneys from the ground up. It is as personal as a diary and holds the history of early 20th Century theatre. Not only that, but it hold their ideals, their values, the things that made them great and can inspire us and future generations to greatness. These values are intangible but important: friendship, creativity, hard work, dedication, family, discipline, reflection, and whimsy, just to name a few.

The place itself is beautiful: 60 acres of rolling hills in the southern Kettle Moraine of Wisconsin. Three picturesque buildings with hand-painted murals and curtains made by the first lady of 20th century American Theatre, Lynn Fontanne. It is important to preserve this space for all of us to remind us of the values, so we can tell the stories and remember.

Ten Chimneys is now an official National Historic Landmark. It is a house museum with tours from May through November. It is a center for the arts where important work in theatre happens to this day, as it did when Lynn and Alfred lived there. Visit in person, or online if you cannot get there. But visit. If you'd like to learn about touring, visit here. If you'd like to donate, click here.

~t

Weight Loss Wednesday

I know, I know. It's Tuesday. But I've been struggling with my weight loss and heard about this meme. Or rather, my lack of weight loss. It's not because whatever I'm doing isn't working, it's because I'm not doing whatever I'm doing. Some fellow bloggers have started a new meme, Weightloss Wednesday. I'm thinking perhaps the added accountability might help me. It's another way to build community among bloggers and help you to think about what you're doing.

Basically, you check out the link, and if you want to participate, grab their pretty little header, and post each Wednesday about how your week went, Weight Loss wise. Then, it's a good idea to go back and post to their blog so they can check you out. I've been blogging my weight loss (or lack thereof) for a while. At first I was wondering if this would make a difference. I guess the way I've been doing it, it's hard to know if anyone is even reading aside from the comment here or there. This way you KNOW someone's coming by to check on you. I think it's a good idea. Maybe I'll even change my weigh-in day (which has been Monday FOREVER) to Wednesday. Well, I'm not sure I could make THAT big of a change. ha ha. We'll see.



~t

At Night in San Francisco: Zabrina Tipton

I made mention of my friend Zabrina in the last post, but I wanted to give her a little more love. She's a talented photographer who's put together a couple of books of her work. Her website is the San Francisco Guild of the Arts. Here's the book I was lucky enough to be sent by her as a housewarming gift, At Night in San Francisco!



Not only is Zabrina talented, beautiful, and cool, but she's amazingly generous as well. Forty percent of the San Francisco Guild's services go to nonprofits. Also from the site, "'Gift from Zabrina', is our donation to the community. We donate photography services to the ill wanting to document their life for family, friends and awareness."

Check her out!

Beach Cruisers

I could definitely use some exercise to get myself going in the right direction as far as weight loss. In general, I'm not that in love with biking. However, these beach bikes could probably even get me on a bike. They are just so darn cute, they're hard to resist.



Really, how cute is that? For me, they hearken back to my childhood in the same spirit as the big ole banana seated bike that I decorated with streamers. Ahhhh...good times. And they're called beach cruisers. Imagine cruising down the beach on one of those. That would be good fun. Maybe I could take my dog. He could probably keep up at my rate.

I really like that sky blue color. A pink one would be sweet, too. What's even cooler? They are looking for input as to what would be your dream color for one of these stylin' rides. I think I'm leaning towards a purple.

You can also get these cute baskets to put on your beach cruiser.



Even better, they have instructions online as to how to install the basket once you get it home. Handy.

Of course, I'd want my man to join me on my rides around the neighborhood (or the beach). I'd have to say, he'd look sweet on the Rebel Chopper.



They even have some for the kids. How cool.



~t

Free Love

I'm all for meeting people online, and hey, if you're looking for love, go for it. Of course, you want to be smart about it. Be safe. And don't waste a bunch of money if you don't have to.

Justsayhi.com is totally Free Dating site. There is no credit card required at all. It's really truly free. When you go the front page (which looks quite nice), you get a quick glance at the newest members. They list their goal as to "spread free love to the world". Well, that is sweet. Of course, there are ads on the site, too, but you can't blame 'em. And there's a community bulletin board to get to know people better, too.

You know I like to fancy myself a matchmaker. At least online. (I did meet my husband online.) Have fun and be safe!



~t

Great group of sites from a fellow Muser

Tricia over at Tricia's Musings and her husband, Chris, have a couple of other sites worth visiting, if you haven't seen them yet.

It's so funny, I was initially drawn to Tricia's Musings because I saw she had visited my site and we had chosen the same name for our blogs. (Plus, she has a funky-cool avatar that reminds me of one of my favorite periods of my hair.)





That's me, circa 1996. The color is actually a little faded in this shot. It was more like Tricia's avatar when it was first colored.

Kinda weird, huh?

I really like her site because it's visually appealing and has a great variety of content that includes substance and fun. So, I was excited to hear that she had another blog called Celebrity Scoop. I do like myself a little celebrity gossip, even though I try not to indulge too much. (It makes me feel guilty for some reason. I guess I feel bad for the celebrities' lack of privacy. Of course, some of them just thrive on it.) I do like that Tricia puts her own unique spin on the stories, including highlighting political figures like Saddam Hussein as well. Very interesting.

Her husband Chris' site, Odd Planet, reminds me of my husband Kevin's Shameless Stuff. How funny, huh? Tricia and I must be soul-sisters or something. While we girls write about our lives and like to peek in on the celebs, the guys are all about the weirdness in the world. Kevin's tagline reads, "Observations on the shameless world around me. Gads, we're all so weird!" The description for Odd Planet, is described as such, "Odd Planet is a humor/ entertainment blog that brings you odd new stories, stories about dumb criminals, and strange people. You’ll also find a good number of funny pictures and videos on the site as well." Perhaps the guys should write about the weird parallels amongst all our lives?

OMG, both Tricia and Chris are participating in Photo Hunters Scavenger Hunt. And oh boy, did they pick different topics. How funny. You have to go check it out to compare, especially if you know me and Kevin. It's very like how we might do something. I swear Tricia and Chris, we are NOT stalking you.

Anyway, get on over there and check out those blogs. They are worth a looksee. Yes, I just said looksee. So, sue me. I like weird words.

Happy NEW Year! (Maybe I have to try this photo scavenger hunt thing. Hmmmm.)

~t

osCommerce Cafe

As you know, I'm a fan of good design. Why do I just have the basic design on this site? Well, I've been working on that. Part of the reason, however is that good design is not always easy to find, nor is it always easy to get financially.

The osCommerce Cafe was set up specifically to help designers create gorgeous sites for people with online stores. Set up by Myles O'Reilly, author of The Programmers' Guide to osCommerce, in March of 2006, The osCommerce Cafe currently has 70 different templates from which to choose. The templates are neatly organized in 19 different categories, so you can easily find a theme that matches the store for which you are designing.

Categories include:
Animals & Pets
Art & Photography
Books
Computers
Electronics
Fashion
Flowers
Food & Drink
Games
Gifts
Jewelry
Hobbies
Interior & Furniture
Kids & Toys
Music
Outdoors
Seasonal
Software
Sports

There are many great designs. Here's a nice one in the fashion category. I checked there first since Kevin makes t-shirts. This was a little more haute couture than what he does (understatement!), but I like that, too. There is currently one in the Art & Photography section, but it's nice. This is my favorite in the flowers section. I used to make jewelry. This would be a nice template for my jewelry store (if it ever comes to exist). I especially like the mix of funky elegance. Unusual, in my opinion.

One of the coolest things about this site is that you just pay a membership fee to get access to all the designs for a specified period of time. The base membership is $89 for 3 months, which is a huge savings when you consider that purchasing individual templates can cost upwards of $150/design. There are also memberships for 6 months or 1 year.

~t

Secret Agent Josephine

I read a really cool post by Secret Agent Josephine yesterday. I hadn't visited her blog in a while. When I visited, I remembered why I love her blog so much. I don't really know her. I've only emailed her back and forth maybe once or twice. But she gets a lot of traffic and a lot of comments and she was so kind as to email me back, and I think she was really, REALLY pregnant at the time.

She's just cool. First of all, she's a graphic designer and an AWESOME one at that. (I've been using a lot of all caps lately--excuse me if that's obnoxious.) Her site looks cool.



She includes amazing photographs that she takes all the time. (I need a better camera.) And not only photos, but many of her entries have slideshows with a number of great photos. (Hmmm...hey maybe I should copy that idea.) She has ads on her site, but she designs them herself, so they all look cohesive. She writes about her life, but in a very honest and interesting way. Maybe she is just a very honest and interesting person. I think her posts may be longer than the average blog post, but I always just read them right up, because I find them so engaging. She's got style. And knows what's important. She's adorable, as is Baby Bug, her almost-one-year-old daughter. Heather got me into SAJs blog while SAJ was pregnant, so I've seen Baby Bug grow up.

SAJ does things that the rest of us wish we could do - like make these awesome milestone movies for her kid with fantastic music every month. They almost make me want to have another kid. Almost. (Not really.) She lives at the beach, but she's cool enough to know she's lucky. And she draws on boxes with sharpies instead of cleaning her bathroom. Now, I might do something like that, but probably not as well as her. (Not self-deprecating here, just true. She's a freakin' artist, People!)

What I liked most about the post was how it made me feel. It made me feel that not only was I ok to not have a totally clean house, but that I was probably doing the right thing. Because really, shouldn't we all do what we love? It also gave me a window into one of those people I admire and think, "HOW do they do all that?" They don't do ALL that. They do what they love. And it shows.

Thanks, SAJ. You are awesome. Keep shining, sister.

~t

Tis the Season for Great Deals

There are so many great sales and discounts after Christmas. I have plans for some of my Christmas dough already. One way to help it go a little further is to use online coupons. Right now, we're all about the electronics, so Best Buy coupon codes are a sweet deal. Kevin may need a new computer. We also need to figure out how to back up our computers (bad, I know--geeks, help me!) and I'm sure we'll need stuff for that. And of course, there's the ever present need for a digital camera that actually works. Ahhhhh...Best Buy.

~t

Internet Marketing Monitor Review

I’m not sure quite why, but I’m nervous about writing this post. Perhaps it is because Internet Marketing Monitor is trying out PayPerPost so that they can review it. I feel I must really deliver the goods for Internet Marketing Monitor, PayPerPost, and posties everywhere. Internet Marketing Monitor has asked for “people to write unscripted, unbiased reviews of its content”, so that is what I am going to do.

I will start by saying that I am new to the internet marketing game. Like so many things in which I am interested, I know just enough to be dangerous. I would love to know much more about internet marketing, but the variety of sources out there is daunting for someone like me with not a whole lot of research time. In checking out Internet Marketing Monitor, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of information, but it didn’t read like Greek to me. Perhaps that’s because the originator of the site, Matt, was smart enough to know he needed a ghost writer, Derick. Good on ya, Matt.

I looked through the site for a good long time before even considering writing this post, and I found a nice variety of Internet Marketing content on things I’d like to look at in more detail. You see all the big names there…Yahoo, Ebay, Google, MSN, YouTube, and current information on what’s going on with them.

I am sometimes completely overwhelmed with the pace at which things happen in the Internet world. Internet Marketing Monitor clearly has been in this game and understands that. They promise to post multiple times a day, five days a week. And it seems they have. Although the blog was only started in the beginning of November, there is a lot of information on it already. I could have stayed there for hours more, and I’m sure I will visit it again. Kudos, too, on them for the 5-day rule. One thing you learn about the Internet is that it’s important to know when to unplug. (Seeing as I am writing this review at 2:04 am, I clearly haven’t learned that lesson yet. I’m just hoping I get it done and posted before my toddler calls me to bed.)

The posts themselves on the Internet Marketing Monitor are well-thought-out, informative, and well written. I enjoyed reading many of the entries and got a little bit more sucked in than I expected to. That's good, because even though I know I want to learn this, sometimes I just get overwhelmed and have to move away from the site, whatever site it is. I can get a little bit Blog-ADD, but I didn't find that happening.

I have to say that I'm not that into the design. It's a pretty basic WordPress theme, I think. It clearly states "all business", which may be what they were going for, but it also says to me, "business is kinda ugly". This could just be my personal opinion. And, they did specifically ask for reviews of content, not design.

I love that they give "report cards" to different affiliate programs and directories. This is the sort of information that really interests me. Where is it best for me to spend my limited time in developing my sites for greatest monetary value? I will be checking back to see what they say about them, as right now they are still collecting data. The only issue I had was again with the template design. At first, I was reluctant to click those links, because I thought they were ads.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with this site and it kept my novice-head-spinning attention for quite some time. I think that's really saying something. If I had to rate it? I think I'd say B, mostly because it's still new and the look could be more engaging. An internet marketing blog should know that. Also, I'd really like to know more about who Matt is. How much of an expert is he?

Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Internet Marketing Monitor. I hope you found the review helpful.

~t

Custom Avatars and Ringtones

I'll admit it. I dig avatars. There's something about a cartoon representation of yourself that you can make any way you want that is really appealing. U-doo is a website that will allow you to customize your own avatar and ringtone. You can then download them to your mobile phone, email them to yourself and your friends, and publish them to your Myspace page. Cool. Check it out here.



~t

I Am Free Tonight

Well, actually, I'm not free tonight. But I'm talking about an online dating website with some unique features. You know from some of my previous posts that I like to fancy myself a bit of a matchmaker, even if I don't really make matches in real life. I think talking up online dating services is the way to go for my matchmaking. Leave it to an Aquarius (me). Anyway, I really like this one I just found, called iamfreetonight.com.



One of the scariest things about meeting someone online is the actual meeting. You can't help but think, "Is this safe?" Also, there's a lot of pressure on those first one-on-one dates. One of the coolest things about this new site is that it has features that alleviate many of those worries in one fell swoop. Their unique wingman tool allows you to set up double or group dates. That's definitely safer in my opinion, and a little bit easier on the nerves as well. If you're going out with a group of your girlfriends, you often would like to meet up with a group of guys. With this features, you can "shop" for them ahead of time, pick out a group you like, and meet them. How cool is that?

They also have a Date Now! feature that lets you put in exactly what you want to do on a date, when you are available, and your zip code. In effect, you are designing your perfect date and just finding someone who likes it, is available and close by to go with you. I think that's awesome.

The site, iamfreetonight.com, has also gotten some cool press since they started up. Check out the bottom lower left corner of the site where it says "news/press" to see it. (I was planning to link, but it's a pop up box.)

How fun. It almost makes me wish I were dating again. Amannnnnnnnnnndaaaaaaa...?

Oh, and did I mention the service is FREE, as in costs nothing to participate? Check it. It seems to be powered by ads, which I'm imagining are targeted at the college crowd. So, wait, in addition to Amanda, I need to be working on Steve and Willie. (Not sure if Willie is free, though. Hmmm.) I have so much work to do.



~t

Conspiracy Carols: A little paranoid fun for the holidays

Tired of the same old boring Christmas carols? It could be time to see those old familiar songs in a new light. With Conspiracy Carols, you can poke a wee bit of fun at your most paranoid friends and family. When you visit the above, you get to pick and type in whatever subversive message you'd like to embed in "Jingle Bells". Then, it prompts you to send an email to your friend or family member, telling them of the hidden message found in "Jingle Bells", with a link so they can hear it for themselves. I'm not usually one for practical jokes, but I thought this was pretty funny. The only downside for me was that it wanted to automatically send through Outlook, which I don't have set up.

This brought to you on behalf of OfficeMax.



~t

Christmas eCard Games

I always think there's nothing new under the sun and then another new thing shows up that is both obvious and totally creative at the same time. This time, I'm talking about Christmas games on Christmas eCards.

I don't generally send Christmas cards. I don't know why. I'm just not that into cards. I do, however, like the convenience and non-waste aspect of eCards. And the fact that if you totally forget until the day of, you can STILL get people a card on time. That's really great.

The blog post that I linked to above talks about bluemountain.com's new eCards with games on them. The games are flash-based, interactive, Christmas-themed fun. There are a number of different varieties. I especially liked Santa's Snow Run, where you get to steer Santa doing extreme snow boarding and get points for clearing jumps. Here's a screen shot of it:



I'm also a big fan of mistletoe. I guess I'm still a romantic at heart. One of the games is called Mistletoe Tag. In this game, you try to click the different characters to "kiss" them as they show up under the mistletoe. But if Scrooge shows up and you kiss him, you lose a point. Here's a shot of one of your "kissees".



Bluemountain.com has been around a while in the eCard business. You can get an annual membership for $13.99, which is a pretty good deal. You can even try out the membership for free for 30 days before deciding to sign up. If you get the membership, you're even less likely to miss a special occasion because they have a calendar feature that allows you to shop for your cards ahead of time and send them out at a later date. Nice.

~t

O Canada! (5:00 am Ramble for Steve)

Remember that episode of That 70s Show that had the guys all singing the Canadian national anthem to get them out of trouble? That was a crackup.

Kevin and I have had a fascination with Canada since we saw the Michael Moore movie, Bowling for Columbine. I think it's a somewhat common fascination stemming from that source, especially during this here Bush era. Now, even though I've lived in the Northern half of the U.S. my whole life, I haven't made it up there yet. Well, we have plans (just wish I didn't need to renew my passport.)

Ok, I was just thinking of all that as I was perusing my Canadian blogger buddy Steve's site: The Beginnings of a Blog. He's a Canadian currently studying in NY on a track scholarship. My fellow posties, Colleen and Cass, got all up in arms on his hawtness as they were talking about his site. I was gonna try to stick to the facts and was looking for some interesting "Canuck in the states" sort of stuff, but upon checking the archives, I got all distracted by him posting about his butt. Now, how'm I supposed to stay focused when that's what I find? Well, he's not always posting about his butt. There's also a lot of information on tech stuff and his life as a college student (finals recently) and just funny or cool things he finds online.

So, I look back to August (still looking for stuff on Canada--thinking he was home in the summer, no?) to find he has a girlfriend, but I think something must have happened, because he recently talks of not talking to the pretty girl at a party. Again, I ask, how am I supposed to stay focused on looking up Canadian information, when I get all sidetracked by romance and runners' butts? Oh well. I guess I'm just like the other girls.

Further searching has still found little in the way of long reminscinces of Steve's love of Canada. But I found this funnily honest post. Talk about disclosure! I like this one, too, because I question busyness as well.

I have to go search the archives for what happened to Steve's girlfriend now. I'm not gonna tell. Go there yourself. Until then, here's the pretty boy's pic. (It was just too tempting to not Colleen- and Cass-it-up a bit!)

Thanks for the import, Canada! (At least temporarily.)

How could he NOT talk to the pretty girl? Boys... Hmmm...I wonder if he would like Amanda. Hmmm...Scorpio. That would work with a Virgo. Of course, now she'd be the older woman. Ahhh...the things I do when I wake up at 4:00 AM with a raging headache. I think the ibuprofen has almost taken effect. He looks like a Scorp, now that I see that. Dark. Mmm hm. Girls like that, Steve. Next time you're at a party, go for it. I know, I know, you're a geek at heart, but if we find a cutie, with a runner's butt who can also make sure we never lose internet connectivity... Ok, I gotta end this before it gets even more outta hand.

But come on, people, go visit Steve. Go on, go. Now.

~t

Online Dating Services Compared

Although I am happily married, I sometimes fantasize about being that sweet little matron that meddles in everyone else's lives and does a bunch of matchmaking, hopefully for the better. I really haven't done it, because it isn't totally in my nature and the isolated incidents where I've tried meddling haven't really worked out too well.

But, I do firmly believe in a little bit of matchmaking, and if I'm not going to do it for you, I think an online dating service is a great thing to try.

Did you know that I actually worked for a dating service as a receptionist when I was in college? And on top of that, I met my husband online. And I met my first, disastrous internet boyfriend online. So, I know a little bit of what I'm talking about.

Since there are so many options out there, I was very excited to see this site containing Dating Site Reviews. It can be an intimidating step to take, and having as much information as you can get before making a commitment is definitely a good idea. The site itself is attractive, easy to navigate, and has some fun extra articles on dating. I think I have to go send this link to my friend Amanda...

~t

Rockstartup.com, Episode 3

Nope, it's not in movie theaters, people. It's right here online. I don't get out and I've become so completely internet geeky, I rarely see TV unless it's toddler placation. So now, I get my reality tv fix online.

Yes, folks, if you've been paying attention, we've been watching the stellar beginnings of startup PayPerPost, where you Get Paid to Talk about the Things You Love. (Check my referral button in the sidebar.)

I talked about my love for the beginnings of Rockstartup in an earlier post. Well, episode three kept me just as interested. Here, we see the drama unfold as the PayPerPost crew moves out of cramped space they had been sharing into their brand spankin' new own colorful offices. As most of us know, the course of construction and moving an entire office rarely runs smoothly. It is especially fun and nostalgic for me to watch this develop, as it reminds me so much of my experience working for Ten Chimneys as a startup. Anyway, check out episode 3, right here, on my blog. It doesn't hurt that their staff is so darn cute, either.



~t