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Okay, I'm about all written out now! I guess I had a lot to say today. When you're a writer, sometimes you just get in a chatty mode while writing and everything that pops into your head seems to be something you feel like mentioning. 
Have a great Friday night...and see you over the weekend....maybe!
SO I'm sifting through a message board I frequent and next thing you know it's all changed around. I guess the new year brings out the change and sort things out quality in people. I get that way. It's a new year coming up and people get all set thinking of "new beginnings". Are you one of those who set resolutions? I tried for years but I'm not always good to sticking to them. I'm going to try again this year...this time is has to do with my health. It was last New Year's Eve that I collapsed on the steps. My blood sugar spiked and that was when I found out I had diabetes. My legs just stopped understanding my brain and my knees buckled. I know what you're thinking, but I don't drink. Nope, wasn't drugs! It was a sugar induced incident. Pie and Sparkling Cider...next thing you know I'm walking and my legs didn't understand there was a step under me....and down I went! It was a weird experience. You're brain knows there is a step there, and you've walked up and down them tons of times, but one day you go to walk down and your legs collapse and crinkle up....down I went. Luckily it's a small set of steps for a raised living room. Thank goodness it wasn't on the basement steps. I've all ready fallen down those once before and don't want to do that again! LOL
Anyway...I'm going to try to get myself on a better path, because this year, I just didn't take the care that I should have. Call it denial....it's what it is...I'm ready to stop denying it. Time to take control.
This previous summer we did a 4 day trip to Wildwood. We didn't used to go there, but we decided to try it again and we really enjoyed the boardwalk and the rebuild it's going through. A lot of the hotels are turning to condos, houses are being built up and it's been cleaned up a lot. This next summer will be the third year I'll be going down as an adult. We used to go yearly to LBI and then Wildwood when I was a child.
On going down as an adult, I've been exploring different hotel options, and found the last two we stayed at online. We chose the Ala Moana one year and the El Coronado on the beach in 2006. While we stayed at the El Coronado and had a nice time, inside it seemed a little worn. These are units that are owned now and rented out individually. This year, we drove by the strip and wrote down names of hotels to check out online. We came up with 2 or three on our list for next year to sort through. The Shalimar got a total redo so that's on the list, but I think the Bal Harbour is going to win out. Do you have a favorite place in Wildwood? Aqua Beach looks like it's been redone too. The Reges Ocean front doesn't look so bad either. Pan American always makes it to my list, but their prices seem higher.
I'm having a heck of a time getting one of my sites indexed in Google. Every other site I have is indexed. I put a sitemap in, I hooked into other indexed pages, but for some reason, this one site never is pulled up in Google. That is so frustrating...it's like it doesn't exist! I'm not giving up, but it makes me wonder why all the other sites I've done have been, and this one lags behind. Weird!
What is your best tip for getting indexed? (besides time!)
When you vacation, do you stay at a hotel or at a vacation rental home? We are heading to Florida in a little while, and I was looking at all of the Orlando hotels and comparing prices. When we went in June we actually stayed in condo that offered us the luxury of three bedrooms and three bathrooms. I liked having a kitchen as well as it saved us money on eating out all the time. Depending on what your trip includes, how many people are going and such, rental vacation homes can be a great choice. Whether you stay in hotels like we do sometimes, or vacation homes like we do other times, know there are a lot of options out there, and by taking the time to look at them, you may save yourself some time, money and sanity! OrlandoVacation.com may have exactly what you're looking for. Check them out next time you're heading south!
...."Although Taco Bell initially blamed the green onions for the E. coli, health officials later concluded the shredded lettuce was most likely the culprit." (full story can be found here)
I saw this story on NJ.com and it's funny the timing of it. We stopped at the EB Games in Flemington yesterday and a Taco Bell sits in front of that shopping center. My son asked if we could stop there, and I said no. I'll wait awhile and make sure I don't hear any other problems or outbreaks of E.Coli! He may be willing to trust them faster than I am, but it just makes me squeamish. Don't get me wrong, I understand it could happen anywhere, but for now, I'm not ready to dive in quite yet!
I'm reading an article about movies from 2006 on NJ.com. You can follow the link above to read the article. I'm curious to see how many I have similar thoughts on. They said 25 were really good, only 10 were great.
They chose: Dreamgirls and Hollywoodland. Didn't see either, hope to see the first, don't care about the second. Little Children and Little Miss Sunshine. Don't care to see the first, the second we'll see on video and would have liked to seen in the theater...timing didn't work out. Notes on a Scandal and Painted Veil, I can barely even remember hearing about. Doubt I'll see either one of those. Labrynth, Pursuit of Happyness and The Queen don't think I'll see, though I'm sure Pursuit of Happyness will be great, I'm not in the mood for a tearjerker. His interview and the real Chris Gardner were on Oprah. Incredible story....As for World Trade Center the final choice of this article, not seeing it. Won't see the United one either about the plane crash. I dont' want to relive a moment in time that traumatized me.
I saw a lot of awesome films that I loved this year. These weren't my choices at all. At some point, I'll post my choices.
Speaking of basketball I was over at PremiumSeatsUSA.com checking out their available tickets. I love to see shows, sporting events and concerts. One of the things I enjoy if I go to an event is getting a good seat. Nothing worse than having a blocked view or a seat that is less than up to par. I went to one concert a few years ago and the seating was horrible. If one person stood, the entire audience ended up on their feet, just to see. It was a flat seating arrangement and generally sucked. When you go through a premium ticket dealer, you know you're guaranteed to get good seats. Say you wanted to get Miami Heat Tickets, you just go to PremiumSeatsUSA.com and sort through them and next thing you know, you've got incredible seats to a great ball game.
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We were both talking Rutger's last night, but I was talking football and he was talking basketball. I was on a message board and read about Rutger's loss! What? They were playing in the Texas Bowl and it looked like they would pull off a win...which they did! The problem was, I read Rutgers and my mind went immediately to football, where as his went to basketball! That was funny.
I was actually on ESPN following the last quarter of the game after that, and they have live updates that are continuous and you dont' need to refresh. It automatically did it for me, very cool!
It's the time of the day where lightness meets darkness. Here I sit looking out the window, and I see the grey in the sky. The blue is a little less vibrant, the sun not so visible and the night is slowly coming on. I hate how in the winter season it gets dark so early. I crave the long days of sunshine and lightness until 8 and 9pm. Now by 5pm we have a dark night, and by 6pm it's completely dark.
I used to be a night person in my early twenties, but give me the sunshine and daylight these days and I'm so much happier.
I was reading Allure magazine, one of my favorites and came across a small piece of information in a short article by Kristin Cobb....it would appear they are testing a highly accurate breath-test that detects abnormalties with cancer in the body.
Quoted from the article:
A simple breath test that detects early-stage breast cancer has proen accurate in preliminary studies.
Apparently some scientists in New Jersey have een working on this technology to help detect chemicals emitted...and there is a pattern that breast cancer shows. Though it has been a small study, it's been 90% accurate so far.
The breath sample could detect abnormalities sooner, helping to diganose cancer before it spreads.
More studies need to be done, but it's a positive piece of information on research coming out! Thx to Kristin Cobb for covering this piece of research. Go New Jersey scientists!
I love looking up real estate and the going rates for homes in all different areas. It always amazes me to see the different values of properties based on the area it's in. Take for instance city properties and country properties, large difference, but when it comes to prices you have to take in mind lifestyle. It's great if you can find a property at a great low price, but at what cost? Seriously, you have to consider things like job commuting, schools and neighborhoods, so sometimes that great deal isn't so great when you don't have good job options nearby and the local schools aren't setting great examples for the rest of the region.
If you're looking for real estate in big cities, it's even more important than ever to make sure the real estate people you're working with know the area and all those extra pieces of information that will help improve the quality of your lifestyle. If you're looking at Chicago Real Estate, you'll want to check out SearchIllinoisHomes.com which can point you in the right direction. NewCastle Realty Group has the experience and knowledge you'll need.
This message has been brought to you by SearchIllinoisHomes.com
While we are on the topic of books, I wanted to mention my other books: Skin Care Student Q and A, and Massage Student Q and A. I'm really excited to tell you my Skin Care book is selling well and am pleased by it's reception.
When I was in esthetic's school I had all these notes and at the time they seemed so overwhelming. I decided to break down those pieces of information into smaller morsels so they would be easier to understand. This was the purpose when I started, and it looks like I hit the mark. I'm thrilled my book can help other students as they are going through the learning process as well.
One of the things I've learned is how to market and promote something so I learned something new in the process as well. If you'd like to know more about my books, you can check them at one of my other sites, SkinCareStudent.com
Did you ever notice the link on the side of the book cover? That's my book. :) I've written three books and one of them is right there on the sidebar for you to check out. The New Jersey Fun Finder is a great book for you and your family, or you and a date. It offers options like orchards, wineries, beaches, arcades, museums, and more. If you haven't taken a moment to check the book out, you can also follow this link to learn more. Go on, you know you want to!
Everytime I pass Peddler's Village in Lahaska I see the teak furniture outside at that one store. I love teak wood patio furniture. Of course, nobody ever buys anything at Peddler's Village because it's more of a place to "look at stuff" because they are so overpriced. I did find a great place online for teak wood furniture though where you can find quality teak furniture that's built for durability and strength. They use quality teak wood from Indonesia. Did you know that it's good at preventing mildew and termites? BeFurnished.com has a great selection of teak wood furniture and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
This message has been brought to you by BeFurnished.com
Announced earlier than expected John Edwards has jumped into the presidential bid. I'm not holding my breath...I'm holding out for somebody different is all. In a story on NJ.com , it discusses the early move. Oops is what they seem to be saying. Apparently the information slipped out a littler earlier than they meant to. Darn technology....
I found it kind of interesting that I got a piece of mail today asking me to subscribe to Philadelphia Magazine. I live in New Jersey. I used to live in Bucks County and well, would have been a better target for Philadelphia Magazine, but did I mention I live in New Jersey? Hmmm...
Are they trying to spread to a bigger base, grow their subscription base, or do they not realize they printed my state out on my envelope...ummm, New Jersey.
I don't want your Philadelphia Magazine, and I don't want a New Yorker Magazine...I'm in New Jersey. I don't get ads from New Jersey Life or Weird NJ, I got ads in the mail from other states!
Last night we watched the honor tribute of Dolly Parton, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyed Weber. This isn't the regular viewing that I do, and though I wouldn't normally choose this type of show, what it did is highlight some things I knew, but hadn't really thought of.
Dolly Parton has been around for ages, and she doesn't look much different! She changes weight, wigs and make-up along with flashy clothes often, but her music is music I grew up with and enjoy. I realized there's more of her music I enjoyed than I remembered.
As for Steven Spielberg, this is where it really floored me. I knew the man was a massive talent, but I never really thought about how many of his movies I've seen growing up. His movies range from ET to Schindler's List. A vast array of entertainment as serious as Saving Private Ryan and as wild as Jaws! His are the movies that stick with us. Pretty impressive!
Rutgers made it to a bowl, and the coach is sticking around. New Jersey is full of surprises as Rutgers University's Scarlett Knights take it to the road. The big game will be played between Rugters and Kansas City at the Texas Bowl.
Meanwhile in Pro ball both the Jets and the Eagles pulled off wins. Being an Eagle's fan, I don't really care how the Giants did. *smile* ....and I love that we beat the Cowboys. Life is good, isn't it?
Still not a creature stirring....thinking about stirring, maybe....maybe not....Gracie hasn't decided yet!
Not a Creature was Stirring....Not Even a Dog!
I have a couple of sites that I launched this year, and learning good SEO techniques are crucial to the suceess in your sites finding their way to the top of the search enging rankings. Quality content, information that is relevent and fresh, anchor text and keyrich content are things you have to continually keep up with. Another aspect is understanding back links. One thing to keep in mind when learning how to build back links with a new site is that the back links you want should come from quality sites and sites that are relevent to your own. The more pages that are relevent and link to your site, the more the engines will find value in your site.
While nobody has the exact answer to the one failproof way, people have learned what works to improve them by trial and error. Learning from those who are succeeding is something that will help everyone who is trying to make an impact on the internet. The more natural the pattern, the better it is for your site. Don't try to quick fix and link into link farms that will only hurt your credibility, aim for quality and you'll be happy you took the time.
Merry Christms to all....and Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas. This Jersey girl is ready to enjoy a little holiday cheer and now that the cold/flu has left me just in time, I'm celebrating with an extra big smile! Enjoy your time off, your family and don't forget to revisit some of those old memories of childhood.
I Miss you Daddy, but know we'll be including you in our celebration by remembering all our Christmas's past. Love, Deb
Thx to DisneyClips.com for their great clipart, as always!
The last of the entries came in, and Darren over at Problogger.net is hosting them for his writing project. Total count after all the submissions were 292 submissions! He uploaded them all by hand. You're right Darren, time to find an easier way!
Here are the final submissions for your reading pleasure. Winners have been randomly selected and can be found here. I didn't win a prize, but it's always fun to be a part of. This was my fourth time joining in on Problogger's writing project. Remember it's Problogger.NET, not .com!
Another 75 entries rolled in for the Problogger.net writing project! This is nuts...there's over 200+ submissions now! Darren must be thrilled that so many people have responded to his call. I've loved participating in his writing projects, and I look forward to now! Thx again to Darren at Problogger.net for holding this writing project, and a big thanks to the sponsors who are offering up prizes that will be given out randomly. (Sponsors: Thrive Web Marketing, Information for Her Australia for Australian Women, The Blogging Times, eMoms at Home, Dave Taylor, Poker on a Mac, bloglinkr, 451 Press and Rob Schaumer, DeveloperCube)
Without further ado...here are today's submissions:
It's one entry per PERSON this time, not one entry per BLOG...so that's a lot of blogging, with only one entry per PERSON, and guess what...there's still time to write! You have one more day to get the submissions in! There are only 24 hours left, so hurry and let's help Darren break his previous record of submissions!
With another long list of submissions to the Problogger.net writing project, there's a lot more reading to do. If you want a get a jump on it, here are today's 79 submissions. You may want to grab a drink and get comfortable!
I'll be sorting through all of them as well and hoping by week's end to pick out a few of my favorites to highlight. As for me, I've got more reading to do!
I was sorting through a catalog I got from RedWingBooks and came across this chart on Ear Reflex Points by Terri Oleson. Did you realze you have over 200 points on your ear? That's amazing! I love reading about things like this and learning new things. This was one that blew my mind. I first started getting this catalog while I was in Massage School. The vast amount of information out there is incredible, and the catalog Red Wing Books offers a wealth of topics you may not have known existed. They have a massive section on Chinese Health, Massage, Healing Arts and more. If you love learning about these things, you may want to check out their website or their catalog. It's got books you may never know existed.
I am in no way associated with Red Wing Books, and merely wanted to pass this info. to everyone. I'm fascinated with different things like this. Pressure points can be a fascinating topic and if you've never read about it, you may be surprised by what you learn!
Problogger.net is having another writing project and the submissions will be posted for the next few days. If you haven’t entered a submission, there’s still time, and there are even some great prizes you can win.