Use Vista Print for All Your Printing Needs!

I've mentioned Vista Print before -- it's a really cool website where you can take care of all of your printing needs. They offer services such as rubber stamps, marketing materials, car magnets, business cards, checks, and window signs. The window signs are a really nice product, and great for small businesses. They are very reasonably priced, and you can tailor them to your specifications, just as with all the other Vista Print products. Even if you're not a small business they could come in handy -- schools, for instance, could use them for educational materials.

As I mentioned, you can customize these products to meet your specific needs, which is always a very useful thing, and what's more, their prices are very reasonable and they offer -- wait for it! --- FREE STUFF! You can get free business cards, stamps, checks, and a bunch of other things. Come to think of it, I actually need new checks. I'm just about done with the ones I ordered oh, two bank mergers or so ago, and it might be nice to have the actual bank name on my checks even though it doesn't matter, they can still be used. I may have to spend a little more time on Vista Print and see what I want. I'd suggest you all do the same. Just check out their website and see what they have to offer -- you won't be sorry you did!

Elle

Biochemists and Engineers: Scientific Colleagues or Natural Enemies in the Wild?

My money's on the latter.

One of the projects I'm working on involves two teams: Team Biochemistry and Team Electrical Engineering. Up until recently, it has been a very pleasant collaboration but today's excitement involved some procedural things which beautifully demonstrate just how differently our brains are wired.

Electrical Engineer: Procedure Alpha didn't work. We have to take it in a different direction.

Me: But it worked the first three times you did it, including that data set we sent off to big important grant agency. What changed?

Electrical Engineer: Nothing.

Me: So, you did XYZ? Like the first time?

Electrical Engineer: Yes, XYZ.

Me: So you started with (enumerates all the steps)?

Electrical Engineer: Oh, no, we did (enumerates all the things that were done differently).

Me: Then that's not XYZ. It's more like XPQ. I don't suppose the reason why it didn't work like it did the first three times is because you did something entirely different this time?

Electrical Engineer: Oh. I didn't think of that. Maybe if we do XYZ again it will work.

You think?

Elle

Have you looked into Lifelock?

If not, you should.

Seriously now. Everyone knows it's a good idea to protect your personal information. Yet how many of us actually do anything about it? How many people, for example, make sure their mail is shredded before it goes into the trash? Carefully check bank and credit card statements? Know where their ID is at all time?

The sad thing is, you can do all that and STILL get your identity stolen. Identity thieves are pretty smart, and if someone really wants to, they can get hold of your personal information, such as a social security number, and make your life really, really difficult. That's why a service like lifelock is so useful. Lifelock guarantees your good name by protecting your identity. They contact credit bureaus for you, and ensure that fraud alerts are set up. They make sure those fraud alerts are renewed every ninety days or so (if you request), and also get you off all those "pre-approved" credit offer lists. Those, by the way, are an excellent way to get your identity stolen. Most people just throw them out, and they often contain enough information about you for a clever thief to take advantage of the situation. Lifelock does a bunch of other things as well to protect your identity and keep you from being the victim of fraud. And they back it up with with a $1,000,000 guarantee! It's definitely worth checking out!

Elle

Blame the adults, not the kid.

That whole Miley Cyrus thing. WTH?

My niece LOVES Hannah Montana, and by extension, Miley Cyrus. There's been an awful lot of loose talk lately as to those unfortunate pictures and how could she, what kind of a role model is she, is this what we want young girls to look up to and blah blah blah.

How could she?

She's fifteen years old, people.

Yeah, the bra pix were a stupid, childish move ... the kind of thing you do when you're fifteen years old. I saw them, they weren't that bad, certainly no worse than anything most of us have done at that age. The blame for the "topless" Vanity Fair pic, however, falls squarely in the lap of the adults involved.

An adult took that picture, adult minders were present when the picture was taken, adults presumably reviewed whatever contracts were involved and either looked at the contact sheets and approved them, or waived their right to do so.

Maybe Miley Cyrus thought it was a good idea at the time. Clearly it was not, and that, folks, is why we generally do not let children of her age vote, drive, or enter into legal contracts. Because they are still kids and they do not yet have the experience or judgment or length of years to decide whether or not appearing in nothing but a sheet in a major magazine is a good idea.

For what it's worth, my niece still loves her, thinks it was a silly mistake and that Miley is "really sorry she did it." I happen to agree.

Elle

Need a holster?

A while back, I mentioned that two of my cousins, E and A are both involved in law enforcement, and both occasionally read this blog. They don't read it for law enforcement purposes, mind you. Anyway, in that post I mentioned LA Police Tactical Gear, a site which provides police and military gear.

Well, guys, they are running a new special, this time on Galco holsters. You, and anyone else who may have need of such things, may want to check them out. It's a cool site, even for us civilians!

Elle

Twisters

Virginia got whacked with a terrible tornado yesterday.

Many of us Northerners will never know what it's like to live through one of these things, though we do get them on occasion. I used to live in Tennessee, and I've been through a couple. Let me tell you, it's an experience you never forget.

In each instance, I was far enough away that where I lived was spared, but not so far away that I didn't find myself down in the cellar (conveniently located right under our apartment) with my roommates, each of us clutching a squirming cat. We were also not so far away that we couldn't hear the distinctive, train-like roar of the tornado, a sound that is unmistakable.

Good luck, Virginia. We'll be thinking about you and praying for you!

Elle

*I* signed up for Social Spark!

And I am SO HAPPY that I did!

SocialSpark is a brand-new concept, a social networking site where bloggers and advertisers can interact. Sure, we do business together -- advertisers post opportunities and bloggers select them, but it's a whole lot more than that.

First, unlike a lot of "paid-blogging" sites, advertisers and bloggers can view each other's profiles and make direct contact. Suppose you're a blogger and you come across an advertiser whose products or services you feel would be a perfect match for your blog's topics. You can contact that advertiser, the advertiser can look at your profile and blog, and if everyone likes what they see, a beautiful working relationship has begun! Alternately, advertisers can post opportunities knowing that a very talented group of bloggers will view them and provide a well-written, quality, and honest review.

Social Spark also has a very strong code of ethics, which is yet another thing that sets it apart from other such companies. There's a 100% audit-able, in-post disclosure police, no-follow links (which makes it search-engine friendly -- no rank penalties!), 100% transparency, and 100% real opinions -- bloggers are not required to write positive reviews, though frankly, the quality of advertisers is such that I have yet to write a negative review.

SocialSpark is run by a great group of people, and in all the time I've been associated with them, I have never had a problem that was not immediately addressed by their super-friendly Customer Love Team. And, I'm not just a SocialSpark blogger -- I've also used them to advertise this blog, and I saw a noticeable increase in traffic as a result.

So, if you are interested in working or advertising for SocialSpark, check them out. I'm here to tell you that you will be very glad you did!

Elle

KaBOOM!

The long anticipated blowup at work has finally arrived!

Except, I wasn't on the receiving end of it. For once. No, *I* am the one who wants to scream and throw things!

Yay!

The short version of this story: Someone we occasionally work with put out a presentation today with our names on it. This normally would not be a big deal, except 1.) We didn't know a thing about it till this morning 2.) It was crap work and 3.) It contradicts, with no basis in fact, established results from our lab.

I got the email about it this morning, and my initial reaction was to blow a gasket, but I'm waiting until I calm down a little. No sense in letting my temper get the best of me.

Elle

Planet Fat Loss!

As you know, many of my blog posts deal with diet issues, specifically low-carb diets. I've followed a low-carb lifestyle for nearly five years now, and it works for me.

There's a pretty cool website out there that deals with Fat Loss. It's called Planet Fat Loss, and they have some pretty interesting and informative articles on their site. One of the better ones, which specifically mentions a few low-carb plans, is Diets That Work. I also like Weight Training Strategies, since I'm thinking about starting to do a more formal weight-training and exercise routine. In the land where "formal" means "at all," mind you!

Anyway, it's a good site, very easy to navigate, and has lots of useful information. Definitely give it a look!

Elle

Poll!

I'm told that everyone's favorite discredited diet guru, Kimmer of Kimkins shame will be posting her alleged latest stats on April 30, and it's supposed to be "really good." Given that she claimed, back in November when she admitted that she was not a svelte Russian Bride but was in fact morbidly obese, that she would make "goal" by her birthday, this would pretty much HAVE to be good, especially since her stated weight loss to date has been less than spectacular. It's something like 62 lbs in the last five or six months, which isn't bad, mind you (if it's true, and since this is a self-reported number from a known liar, I tend to doubt it), but it represents an average loss of 10-12 lbs a month*, pretty far from the "turbo weight loss" that Kimkins promises.

So, I thought it might be fun to do a little poll to see how many of us can accurately guess what she'll say she's lost since the last time. As far as we know, she claims to weigh about 256 lbs right now. How much weight will she say she's lost since the last time she reported her stats? Look over to the left menu bar and cast your vote!

Elle

* Again, 10-12 lbs a month is actually a very good loss, representing as it does between 2-3 lbs per week. That's how much most people should be losing. But, according to you-know-who, her diet should whip off the weight much, much faster. And in fact, some people did lose twice that much on Heidi's "diet." Along with their hair, heart function and health, of course. One wonders why Heidi hasn't had the same success, since she claims it's so easy to follow, safe and effective and all.

Free time and expense software!

Attention, small business owners! I have a really great find for you! It's free time and expense software. Really free! It's Journeyx Timesheet and from what I'm seeing, it looks like a perfect solution for those of you who run your own business.

If your business bills for expenses, tracks employee efforts, or does any kind of project-oriented work, this could be a huge help to you. It can help you manage timesheets, invoicing, project control expenses and payroll. Click on the link to read some Timesheet success stories and see if Journeyx Timesheet is for you!

Elle

Je Reviens

It's been a busy, busy week Chez Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Pickles. Work was busy, but by and large a good busy. I haven't mentioned it much here and I'm sure it won't last, but Crazy Grant Leader has actually been quite nice as of late. In fact, about two weeks ago I screwed something up -- one of those numbnut mistakes that you know better than to make, but somehow make anyway every now and again -- and honestly, while it wasn't the end of the world, it was something any supervisor might justifiably be irked over. However, I apologized for it and Grant Leader response was of the "Hey, we all make mistakes once in a while" variety. Which, after months and months and months of getting screamed at for things that either never happened or my inability to read minds, was nice if a bit unsettling.

Ah well.

The company I interviewed with in NM also contacted me, they are very eager to set up that second interview, which is great. It doesn't mean I'll get the position I'm interviewing for, but I'm hopeful they will offer me something. Literally one other person connected with work knows about this, and I trust this person to keep it quiet (and they don't know the details) since I figure there's no point in telling anyone about my potential departure until there's a real chance I will leave, but I wonder if Grant Leader doesn't have an intuitive sense that something is up. The last time we had a serious issue with explosive scenes over nothing also coincided with a job lead for me (that I decided not to pursue for a variety of reasons) that Grant Leader only knew about after the fact, but claimed to have felt that "something might be up."

Whatever it is, I am enjoying the relative peace and quiet. Think good thoughts for me for this new job -- that if it's good for all concerned, I'll get it.

Elle

Izea Ranks: Real Ranks for Real Bloggers

There are many blogs out there nowadays, on every topic under the sun. Some blogs are personal, maintained as a way for family and friends to stay in touch. Others are "niche" blogs, which provide a forum for discussion on specific topics -- which can range from daily discussions on comic strips to the latest tech gizmo.

You might not think that the owner of a "mommy blog" detailing the day's happenings in the life of a family would care so much about how many people visit and link to that blog as would a professional tech blogger, but they do. It's a given that the professional blogger has a lot more invested in traffic than does the personal blogger, but we all like to know how popular our blogs are.

There are several ways to gauge how popular a blog is, and how much impact a blog has. There's counters, which record how many people visit the blog in a given day. Another measure of a blog's importance is how many other sites link to it. The latter is most often used by various search engines to assign a "rank" to a blog or website.

But neither counters nor the number of links can really give a full picture of how much impact a blog has. Luckily for bloggers, there's a new ranking system out there which takes both visitors and links into account -- Izea Ranks. Izea Ranks is a system in which bloggers register their sites, and it ranks you against other blogs, as opposed to every kind of website out there. This ensures that your blog's popularity is matched against other blogs, not every last website out there, and it gives you an accurate and true measure of how you stack up against your fellow bloggers.

Izea Ranks is simple to use -- just click on the link, follow the process to register your blog, and start seeing your stats! (Hint: The lower your ranking, the better your blog!) I've been registered with them for several months now, and I find it's a very good measure of how well I'm performing as a blogger. I'd encourage everyone who maintains a blog on a regular basis to sign up for it -- it's a great tool, and it's sure to become the way to rank blogs in the future.

Elle

The Fate of Tyrlon and other Dubious Things

That's the title of a really cool blog, and I'm not just saying that because he wrote a post saying how much he liked my blog title.

It's a tech blog, but what sets it apart from other tech blogs is that it's quite fun to read. I present the odd bit of techie stuff here and there, but this isn't what you'd call a 'niche' blog, solely devoted to one subject. Greatpcs.net is more of a niche blog, but it's written so well and in such an entertaining way, with non-tech posts sprinkled throughout, that time can go by very fast whilst browsing through the archives. Give it a look -- you won't be sorry you did!


Elle

The Truth Starts There

Ducky's back! (ETA -- not THE Ducky, but a group of Ducks. My bad!) The first post on the "new blog" deals with a PM exchange between Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer and a misfortunate Kimkins customer.

Kimmer's advice is so full of errors that it's hard to know where to start. That nearly every last bit of Kimmer's "advice" is erroneous is no surprise, given that Kimmer has no medical and/or scientific background, and to date has not managed to successful employ her own plan to lose weight as rapidly as she's always claimed it works.

Here's my favorite -- Kimmer states that a feeling of being lightheaded is due to too many carbs. I presume she means that the customer in question is experiencing reactive hypoglycemia. Given that this person is also saying she's eating under 500 calories when this lightheaded feeling happens, I'd love to know how Kimmer can decouple potential reactive hypoglycemia (virtually impossible on less than 20 g carbohydrates) from STARVATION LEVEL CALORIC INTAKE?

Elle

It's Seiko Time!

Bluedial.com has great deals on a variety of watches, including my personal favorite, Seiko. Of all of the Seiko watches available, if I had to pick my favorite Seiko Watch, I'd pick the Seiko SXGN26 Ladies Two Tone Coutura with Diamonds -- I love the two-tone metal look anyway, and hello -- diamonds? Of course I like diamonds! They also happen to be my birthstone. The Coutura has a sleek, understated elegance to it, which I like as well. To me, this watch doesn't scream HEY! LOOK AT MY BLING! That's the look I go for in jewelry, and truly, this watch is a fine piece of jewelry.

Bluedial.com has over 20,000 watches in stock, making them a leading internet watch distributor. They have great deals, and are definitely worth checking out if you're in the market for a new watch. You can buy from them with confidence, as they are BizRate.com customer certified. H

Elle

So, I noticed ...

... a MASSIVE spike in traffic after WildAngel6 mentioned my Porn for Low-Carbers post on LCF.

Y'all have dirty minds! ;)

Elle

Porn for low-carbers!

That would be the Lisa Cooking blog.

Oh, dear Lord. Look at all those recipes!

While this isn't a low-carb recipe site, there are several recipes on there which are perfect for us, perhaps with a little tweaking, such as the Garlic Chicken Melt. I'm also wondering if I couldn't use the zucchini pizza crust as a pasta substitute in the Lasagna Rolls recipe. This is a really great site -- don't worry, Cleo, I still love you the best -- and definitely worth checking out. Mmmm. Dang. Now I'm hungry!

Elle

The Raging Tech

Tonight is apparently Blog Review Night. Here's another fun blog, The Raging Tech. First of all, I love and want to steal his header graphic. I also like his posts on useful things such as how to download high quality Youtube videos. Where was this blog when I needed it a year ago -- Dancing in Socks Guy was home for the summer, "home" being northern New Mexico and a dialup connection. We share a love of old cartoons, and to surprise him, I downloaded a bunch of stuff from Youtube and sent it to him, but the quality was crap. He's back to his own place with a high(er) speed connection, but I think I may need to use The Raging Tech's useful link to get myself some better quality video. Check his site out, I think you'll like it.

Elle

Is Eight Enough?

I have work to do, but of course that is secondary to my ongoing attempts to reach the end of the internet. In the course of this worthy endeavor, I came across a great blog, Is8enough.com. As you might gather from the title, this amazing woman has EIGHT CHILDREN! And what's more, she's about to become a grandmother for the SECOND TIME. Even more amazing to me, SHE'S MY AGE!

I'm such a slacker. All *I* have is cats, and I can barely get my own laundry done.

Anyway, her blog is a lot of fun and beautifully designed. I love the graphics! You mommy bloggers out there may want to check our her site, she's got some wonderful posts up about family life, homeschooling and the like. Very well done.

Elle

Anglophilia

Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a year studying in London as part of my undergraduate program. I'm one of those annoying Anglophile Americans, you know. Anyway, I cam across an awesome blog by a Yorkshireman, Kimmings. You might want to give it a look -- it's very well designed, though I must say I'd prefer the content to be right on the first page -- but that's just me. He has some photos up of his family and artwork, both of which are gorgeous. Give him a look!

Elle

Welcome, Madame De Leon!

Another anti-kimkins blogger has joined the ranks. Let's give a big welcome to Madame De Leon and her new blog, Kimkins-Free! She has a great primer on the whole Kimkins mess, definitely worth a read!

So many wonderful new bloggers, so little time :)

Elle

Rebounding

I just read a post from Avenuegirl about her ongoing recovery from Kimkins. This post describes a dilemma common to all those who have tried Kimkins and (thankfully) lived to regret it -- once you stop starving yourself, you begin to regain some of the weight you've lost, and since Kimkins does not now, and never has had any kind of maintenance program, you're left at loose ends.

The obvious answer is to go back on Atkins or try another plan that works for you. However, that's a simplistic answer which doesn't really address the underlying problem -- you're not just switching plans. Most of you are, in reality, recovering from an eating disorder.

As someone who is in recovery from a eating disorder (bulimia), I can tell you that there's more to this than just picking another low-carb plan and following it. Recovery encompasses different emotional and physical milestones. I'd like to talk a bit about the latter.

Once you have stopped the active behavior, which is always starvation in some form, your body will need some time to rebound. This, unfortunately, almost always involves a weight gain of some kind. Think about it -- you've taken your body to a state of total or near starvation and all of a sudden you've begun to reintroduce various nutrients and electrolytes your body has been deprived of for quite some time, which often results in fluid retention. Furthermore, your body is quite naturally going to try and hoard whatever you eat in the form of stored body fat in an attempt to stave off the starvation it's become used to.

This could be termed as a "rebound effect." A Pinch Of Health has a good post up giving some information on this, as does Mariasol. The hardest thing to face, when you are recovering from an eating disorder, is that you are going to gain some weight. This applies not just to 70 lb anorexics but also to normally-weighted or even overweight bulimics. The good news is, you can repair the damage done to your metabolism, and you can go on to lose weight in a healthy, sane way once that happens.

One way to look at this is to appreciate it for what it is -- your body's natural repair mechanism at work. Once everything is working as it should -- once all those blood vessels and muscle fibers and organs systems have what they need -- you can begin again, choosing a plan that enables you to lose weight safely and one which offers a realistic maintenance plan that will keep you fit and healthy for life.

Elle

Oh. My. GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I came across a post from a fellow Izea blogger, Colleen.

I am warning you all RIGHT NOW, do NOT read this if you are easily grossed out or offended by descriptions/discussions of bodily discharges and how they end up on clothing you purchase from a major store.

On the other hand, it does serve as an object lesson on why we should all wash clothing we purchase before actually wearing it.

Ew, ew, ewwwwwwwwwwwwww! But funny!

old navy snail trail pants

Elle

Another blogger joins the ranks!

NancyElle, from Low Carb Friends just started her own blog, Chilled White Wine. You definitely want to give this one a look -- she's not only got a very insightful post up about everyone's favorite discredited diet guru, but has also provided us with some yummy-looking recipes for low-carb pizzas.

So many talented low-carb cooks we have now -- where the heck were you guys back in 2003 when I was just starting my low-carb journey? I wish I had your talents, my most innovative low-carb recipe back then was faux sushi, which basically involved rolling thin slices of avocado and cucumber in smoked salmon and dipping it in a sauce made from sugar-free rice wine vinegar, soy, and wasabi.

Anyway, welcome NancyElle!

Elle

Jump Start Your Day & Career with itzbig!

Looking for a job and trying to stay awake?

Jump Start Your Day & Career with itzbig!

Just visit their website by clicking on the link above, register, and get a free gourmet coffee card worth $5.00 -- that's it! Itzbig is an innovative job-matchmaking site which numerically ranks your qualifications against available jobs. This eliminates those annoying, mismatched job postings that are the bane of all of use who use online job search services.

Plus, free coffee. You can't go wrong with that!

Elle

God Speed, Baby

Sad news :( A friend of mine lost her kitty this morning.

Baby had been sick for quite some time. He was battling heart disease, along with another condition and recently developed chronic renal failure as well. Today it became obvious that the end was near, and gentle hands helped Baby transition from this world to the next. I'm certain my Baby Boy was there to greet Baby and show him around.

I should mention that even though he had some very serious, chronic conditions, Baby felt great and this was due to the loving, dedicated care he received from his mama, Vickie. Vickie did everything she could to ensure that Baby lived life as a normal cat, and that he never knew he was sick speaks volumes about her efforts.

The one flaw in any cat is that they just don't live long enough, and even the longest feline life is just too bloody short. Baby's time on Earth is over now, but I don't doubt either that Vickie will get her crown in Heaven for all she did for him, or that Baby will be the one to give it to her.

Because the Creator who entrusted this special cat to her care on Earth will no doubt reward her for her loving dedication with Baby's companionship throughout Eternity.

Elle

Shop Local!

I live in what my fiance calls an "unbelievably quaint little village." In terms of population, we're actually a town, but in atmosphere we really are a village.

I moved here because I liked the 'village' atmosphere. My town is unusual in that it's got a very diverse population in terms of economics -- we're not one of those towns which have driven out blue collar inhabitants by virtue of rising property costs. Here, doctors live side by side with fishermen. And, we like it that way!

Another thing we like is the many small businesses we have here. Our small business community, unlike so many others throughout the country, is thriving. One big reason for that is that many of us who live here make a point of shopping locally whenever we can.

If you live in Southern California, I'd like to encourage you to do the same. Spears Appliance - Family Owned & Operated Since 1929, is a mom-and-pop store that's giving those big-box companies a run for their money. Not only do you get the kind of customer service from Spears Appliance that you just can't get in a mega-warehouse store, you can get comparable prices! Why? Because mom-and-pop stores like Spears Appliance are starting to form co-ops and joint warehouses with other small businesses, which enables them to pass the savings on to you -- just like the big-box stores do. Beyond prices, you'll find that Spears Appliance offers great service, both on items covered under warranty and those which are not. Try getting the latter with one of those big chains!

Spears Appliance is now online as well, I'd encourage you to click on the link above and check them out. Tee site is great, very professionally done and informative. Keep in mind, you don't need to go big to get a bargain!

Remember, shop local!

Elle

Redemption

I got on the scale this morning, for the first time since returning from Albuquerque and my wild "planned cheat" and usual return to Induction levels.

Damage undone! Mostly. I'm up one pound from my usual weight, but that's no big deal, particularly since The Curse of Eve is due to put in an appearance in the next few days or so.

One pound is nothing, given how even just a pint of extra water weighs a full pound. It doesn't seem that way to many people, especially those who are desperate to lose weight, but really, I don't worry very much about small fluctuations like that. In general, I don't worry about it until I see what I consider to be a true increase in my weight -- for me, that's about five pounds.

I must admit, it took me a while to get to where I really stopped worrying about those 1-2 lb increases, but I'm glad I did. Focusing on those minor gains can really mess with your head, and it sets you up for some pretty destructive thinking -- thinking that can lead to behaviors like starvation and laxative abuse. Thinking that makes you a target for diet scams, such as Kimkins.

Elle

Attention, Mommy Bloggers!

As many of you know, I've been doing sponsored blog posts for some time now, as part of my ongoing campaign to pay off all those student loans, and it's going very well. It's a great way to sharpen my writing skills, and earn a little extra money in the process.

I've been working for a wonderful company called Izea, and I really can't say enough good things about them. They've got a great base of advertisers, which means that there's all kind of opportunities available, which in turn makes it easy to select sponsored blog posts that fit in well with the general theme of your blog and are of interest to your readers. Their "Customer Love" team really lives up to their name -- I've peppered these poor people with questions many a time, and they've always been friendly, courteous, and quick to respond.

Izea is launching an incredible new service called SocialSpark. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be one of the alpha-testers for SocialSpark, and I'm loving it. SocialSpark is a new concept in sponsored blogging -- it's a social networking site (think Facebook) where bloggers and advertisers can interact with each other. I think it's going to be really big, and I'm very excited about it, and quite proud that I was asked to help test it, along with many other bloggers.

A lot of my fellow bloggers are "mommy bloggers." These stay-at-home moms do sponsored blogging as a way to help supplement their family income, and SocialSpark promises to be another great Izea resource for such bloggers. I've seen lots of opportunities directly related to topics targeted towards families -- educational software, children's clothing, vacation destinations and things like that. While it's still in alpha-testing at the moment, SocialSpark will be available to the general public soon. If you're a mommy blogger -- or any kind of blogger, for that matter -- who'd like to be paid for writing on topics that you write about anyway, visit the SocialSpark website, and sign up to learn more.

Happy blogging!

Elle

Innovative Green Homes

Divine Caroline has a very interesting post up about Ten Innovative Green Homes. This is something that Dancing in Socks Guy and I are both very interested in. My own preference runs to antique houses -- the house I live in now is nearly 300 years old -- but they're a bear to run, especially in terms of heating and cooling, even though they're sort of the ultimate in recylcling. That's what I tell him, but he doesn't share my affection for antique homes. Plus, we're both committed to reducing our carbon footprints and using sustainable materials. So, wherever we end up, we're planning on having a very green home.

This post describes ten different types of -- my personal favorite is "The Earthbag." Everything else aside, it reminds me of adobe, a personal favorite. If I do end up relocating to NM I'm hoping we can get an adobe-style house, or what I like to call "fauxdobe" or "psuedodobe." Because they're not really adobe, you know?

Anyway, check it out, it's a really interesting post!

Elle

Jung SuWon Martial Art Academy

Do you live in the Silicon Valley area? Are you looking for a Martial Arts Academy, either for defense or as a way to get some exercise and de-stress? If so, then you might want to give the Jung Su Won Martial Art Academy a look. According to their website (which is very nicely done), "Jung SuWon is the way to unite your Body, Mind and Spirit as one." It's for both adults and children, so if you're interested, check them out and see what they're all about!

Elle

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

The Fascination Threads rolled over to #16 last night, and the first post, by LCF admin Tom contained the following warning:

"As a reminder, please be respectful of dissenting views and please avoid personal insults of others - including the subject of these threads. Thank you."

Okay.

I'm not sure what I think about this. My initial impression was that LCF was afraid of some kind of litigation on the part of Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer of Kimkins. If that's true, then I hate to tell them this, but that's really locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen. There's a multiplicity of posts, nearly all of which are cached in Google, containing lots of personal insults towards Kimmer.

What I'd like to know is, what constitutes a personal insult as far as Kimmer goes? Calling her a liar? She is an admitted liar, after all. Pointing out that she's morbidly obese and questioning her recent weight loss claims? Again, she is morbidly obese and given her actions, has an absolute lack of credibility when it comes to reporting her weight loss success.

I don't dislike Kimmer because she's overweight; truly, that has nothing to do with it. Morbid obesity is not a character flaw, but lying for years and years about having lost 198 lbs in 11 months and being a slim size four with perfect skin and hair is indicative of a less-than-stellar character. Especially when you capitalize on that lie to scam people out of their money.

To me, anyway.

Elle

Adventures in Frugality!

I think (know) I've mentioned my new-found frugality here before. While my finances weren't bad, they weren't great, either. I was like a lot of people -- I earn a decent salary, yet I never seemed to have enough money. And this was strange for me -- I was always known as "good with money" in my family. Yet somehow, I found myself shuffling bills around, paying the minimum balances, and otherwise struggling. Sure, everything always got paid, but barely on time.

I blamed it o