Battered and Bruised Sunday, Aug 9 2009

This weekend was my family’s annual Pool Party. We always have a good time even when it rains. This year I thought I would avoid some of the normal punishment received during water polo. Boy was I wrong. I slipped coming out of the house on a wet floor and landed on all fours on the door casing. I scared everyone because I nearly passed out from the shock to my system. The family has decided the one thing we need is a doctor. We have lawyers, teachers, business owners, and other professionals but no doctors. Must be able to have a good time, accept our sarcastic nature, our uncanny ability to be intimidating but loving, and realize we are definitely a family of women who rule. We stick together through it all.

Normally, I am nursing a hangover. Today I am walking around with a bruised knee thanking my lucky stars I didn’t break anything. What a way to start out my vacation.

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Fitness Shottings in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Aug 5 2009

I am writing about the shootings last night at a fitness center in Pittsburgh, PA. I work in the city and it was a topic of discussion in my office. How could it not? The radio station I listen to on the morning drive gave listeners the opportunity to call in and express what they were feeling. One caller was referenced a lot. The caller accurately stated that the city of Pittsburgh celebrates together and it morns together. The city is still recuperating from the shootings of three police officers earlier this year. This tragedy is just another senseless act in a world full of senseless acts.

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Contemplation Sunday, Jul 26 2009

I find myself reflecting on things from my past. Opportunities missed and those choosen. I realize the choices I have made have brought me to this place in my life. I need to reconcile lingering feels from my past in order to move forward. My friends told me the other day that my need for closer gives people especially men power over me. That makes sense but the person I am holds on to things and analyzes things to the Nth degree. I want answers. I have always wanted answers to questions. My thirst for knowledge has been present my entire life.

Maybe if I could let go easily and just accept things at face value it would make my life simpler. There have been men in my life who have made me feel special, sexy, and great just the way I am. Then there have been others who made me feel that who I am is not good enough. Of course we have all had men who have been a combination of both. One guy has popped back into my life who has always made me feel fantastic. He is a buddy I have known for years. He accepts me as I am which is great but we are nothing more than friends. Though the way we act at times could question that for some observers. I thought I found that in a gentleman I meet a few months ago.

We just clicked and it was easy.  You know when you meet someone and it feels like you have know each other forever. That is what I mean by easy. We haven’t spoken since the end of May and in a couple weeks we’ll be face to face. My friends are like let it go, don’t confront him, act like everything is cool between the two of you. I am not sure if I can do.  I’m a bundle of nerves both excited and scared. I wanted it to work out. The way I felt with him, talking to him, and receiving a text message from him was so special. I treasure the limited time he was in my life and am afraid to let go. I know when I see him again it will be time for me to let go of the fantasy and embrace reality. I guess I’ll just have to play it by ear and see how it goes.

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Food Network – Great Helper Sunday, Jul 12 2009

I always enjoyed watching cooking shows. I have a number of cook books bought for me by my grandmother along with recipes printed from websites or cut from magazines. Granted when I cook it is for myself which some of my friends don’t understand. To them, why should I cook for just me when I can get take out. I subscribe to the thinking I can buy food at the grocery store and be able to get more meals cheaper than going out to eat. But like everyone else there are times when I find take out appealing.

Now to the Food Network. One of my favorite cooks is Ina Garten especially the newer season. She is breaking dishes down into basic cooking components. Showing the public how simple it is to say making roasted chicken breasts. What I find great is that she gives the viewer the tools such as leaving the skin on and bones in to make the chicken juice along with what temperature and for how long to cook it. She isn’t the only host to give these kinds of tips. The viewers just need to watch for them. The basics can help any body master a dish then put their own spin. The roasted chicken breast was only seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper but you can build on that with say rosemary or Cajun spices. 

Cooking is not intimidating. Think of one thing/food you love and go to the Food Network website or a cook book. Find a simple recipe and go for it. It is amazing how one feels when you master a dish. You will impress friends and family who didn’t know you had it in you.

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No Man – Good or Bad Saturday, Jul 11 2009

I am going to be 38 next month and have been single for a while. I have never been married though a came close once until I my world collapsed. That was about 5 years ago. The relationship started out passionate and ended up passionless. During the course of the relationship especially near the end, I was constantlt on alert. I had no idea what would happen next. He never hit me but kept tabs on me and on occation made me feel threatened. My family and friends wanted me to get out. I wanted that to but then again I didn’t. He was the last guy my father meet of mine before he died. It is weird what daughter’s think about. On some level I wanted to hold on just to have that piece of mind that my dad had meet the man I ended up with. I realized this was not rational and for my quality of life the relationship had to end. And end it did.

He had been cheating on my throughout the time we were toogether. The first time he throw it in my face I thought he was joking or said it just to get a rise out of me because he was upset. Eventually I realized the truth in his words. When it finally ended he went back to where he had come from and one of the women he had been involved with. The relationship helped me be less of a doormat on some level. I learned at least on a professional level how to stick up for myself and go for my dreams. Thus taking the chance and getting my master’s degree along with applying for the job I have now. I have a house, good friends, a job, and a family who loves me. I can go to a restaurant and the movies by myself. But at times hate coming home to an empty house or wish someone was there to go places with me.

Today I bought myself flowers. Nothing unusal in that action. I have done it a number of times. It would have been nice if a man had bought them for me. I have married friends, dating friends, and single friends. When it comes to men, the attached ones tell us unattached ones we are lucky. Of course that is when they are upset or annoyed by something their man did. I just keep think back to what my parents had and wanting that. They truely loved each other in away no else could touch. No matter what life threw at them they fought through it together. They were a team. Is it so much to ask to find that kind of bond with another human being? In my case find a man who accepts me for me no matter what that involves. I of course have to be just as accepting. I am willing to try but once your relationship, I guess you could call it, faith is tested or trampled on you have a hard time leap again.

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New Direction Sunday, Jul 5 2009

At this time I have hit a crossroads. I graduated with my Master’s degree at the end of May and find myself at loss ends. I have time on my hands that I haven’t had in at least three years. Before that I was busy getting my life back together after a rough period. Now my life seems to have settled. I can focus on updates to my house and maybe take a look at my personal life or lack of. That is of course if my family and friends don’t drive me crazy. They mean well and I love with my whole heart. It is just things happen that most people read about in fiction books or see on TV or in the movies.  You just never know what I will write about. 

The blog started out as an assignment for a class. Now it will evolve into something else. I added a link to my Facebook page to this blog and another I have. The other blog has entries from something I am writing. I have always written things but never really shared them. That blog is a new venture for me sort of like the expansion on this one. I guess they are ways to fill the time on my hands. We’ll see how it goes.

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Facebook Sunday, Jul 5 2009

I am a new member of Facebook. My friends and family seem to love it so I thought I would give it a try. I find myself having trouble getting into it. I don’t know if it is because I am on a computer five days a week for eight hours so the last thing I want to do is get on the computer. Even on the weekend I find I have to force myself to turn the computer on.

I can see part of the appeal. I have re-connected to a few friends that I lost touch with. Which is great. I just can’t seem to devote the time everyone else appears to be able to. I am determined to give it a chance and see if it grows on me. I just feel like I am playing catch up. That feeling is not unusual to me. I have found myself doing that alot in my life. Maybe this time it won’t take me so long.

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Pay to Appear on Search Engines Sunday, Dec 21 2008

This post is for those who may not know that companies pay for placement on web search engines. There are two categories of pay options: paid placement and paid inclusion. Paid Placement is when companies are considered advertisers or sponsors that have their links appearing at the top of a search result. Some engines such as Google will label or put this type of placement off to the side. Other engines may not label or included them in randomly in the search results depending on how much the company paid. The random possibility is also related to the paid inclusion option. Paid Inclusion is when companies pay for their site to be included on the site but no guarantee where it will appear in the search results. It is truly up to the company on which option they choose to help catch searchers’ attention and bring them to the site.

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Should Ads Be Marked On Search Engines? Sunday, Dec 21 2008

In the post on companies paying to appear on search engines, I talked about how some are marked as ads and some are not depending on the search engine’s policy. So as the title asks, should these ads be marked or not? The overwhelming answer from my classmates is that the ads should be marked. I feel when the ads are not marked somehow on the search engines a disservice is being done to the companies and searchers. Searchers are looking for specific information. They may find it on the sponsor site then again maybe not which can lead to a waste of their time and a change in attitude toward the company selected. It could be looked at as misleading advertising to consumers.

Now for why I think companies are receiving a disservice. The companies could have a contract where they pay not only for the space on the search engine but also for how many people click on their site.  So when searchers’ who click on the link and find out it is not what they were looking for money is being lost by the company. Some companies may not care about it and have it factored into their advertising/promotional budget. They do all care about not alienating consumers which is a possibility if the ads are not marked.  Maybe companies should insist their ads be marked as such and to ensure it is done companies can check out the search engine periodically. They could make sure it is in the contract so if the ad is not marked the company has recourse against the search engine. It is just a thought.  

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Website Design Help Desk Sunday, Dec 14 2008

A site was brought to my attention that proved to be a great resource for website design. The site A List Apart (http://www.alistapart.com/articles/) contains article written by a number of people who know about website design. I learned a lot from reading the articles. The authors took the time to put what some would consider a complicated subject into relatable terms such as building a story around a kid named Findability, comparing the layers of design to a Peanut M&M and how a site is like a building with the visitors making it come to life. 

Websites have evolved from being something crude, technical and not a necessity to elegant, visually appealing and a necessity. The site offers helpful information to how better improve the sites and the visitors experience to them. By making it an enjoyable thing something people look forward to, companies can increase the amount of hits their website receive that can translate to increase in sales. If you are thinking of making changes to a website or possibly creating one I would recommend a visit to this site it might save you some time and money down the road. 

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