MzSerena’s Garden

Slow days lead to the most interesting finds sometimes. I was looking at different ways of promoting my site more, ways of bringing in a bit more legitimate traffic and hopefully raise my page rank. I thought that Blog Rush was a pretty cool site.

From their FAQ
What Is BlogRush And Why Should I Use It?
BlogRush is a “Cooperative Syndication Network.” It’s a network of blogs that run a small “widget” on their pages. Each time this widget is loaded it will contain 5 clickable headlines which are the blog post titles to other users’ posts. Clicking on any of these links will open a new browser window and load the blog and full post. Users earn “syndication credits” based on each time their blog loads the widget as well as each time any of their referrals (users that signup after clicking the “add your blog posts” link on the widget) loads the widget. They also earn additional credit based on all the activity through 10 generations of referrals. 1 Syndication Credit = having one of their recent blog post titles served inside the widget on another member’s blog.

It’s creeping closer and closer and we all know it. It’s one of the dreaded time of years for everyone but retailers. It’s almost Black Friday! The one day a year where the stores go absolutely insane and discount big ticket items. The day when shoppers line up at 5am to get their hands on the latest and greatest toys for their children. The day when it sucks to work retail.

Now, most times you have to wait until the day before Thanksgiving to see what the big discounts for Black Friday are going to be, but with www.black-friday.net, you can get a sneak peak at the ads before they get published. You can even get a direct link to the specials online so you don’t have to stand in line at the store. What could be better?

You can plan early and find the best deals, figure out where you want to go first. You can make sure you get the items you want, especially if you see some great Best Buy deals and know that the nearest Best Buy is further away than you would want to drive that morning. BlackFriday.Net is making all your Black Friday shopping as painless as possible so you can get on with your life.

I wrote a chapter on one of the novels that I’ve not touched in over 3 months.
It’s nowhere near done, though.
None of them are, damnit.

Novel 1 – 29,640 words
Novel 2 – 16,071 words
Novel 3 – 50,459 words *
Novel 4 – 3,224 words

* Despite it’s length, the first half would need to be rewritten or removed.
* It has a major drastic plot shift that can’t be worked seamlessly.

I should finish at least one of them. Maybe instead of doing traditional NaNo, I’ll make a goal of finishing either Novel 1 or 2.
But I also have a bunch of ideas for this year’s NaNo. Which will make for Novel 5.

*stabs self*

It’s Friday already? This week vanished, fast. Unfortunately the only thing I like about Friday is that it’s payday. I am not a big fan of weekends, mostly because there are things that I’d like to be doing, but can’t because he’s usually working weekends. I can’t believe that September is over already. It seems like it just started. Not that I’m complaining about *that*, but yeah.

So far, the new season of shows are looking good. I didn’t get to see Reaper until last night, but I really quite enjoyed it. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it much the same. I won’t say anything more about it because I know that at least one person on my list hasn’t seen it yet and I don’t wanna spoil it. I am also enjoying Kitchen Nightmares as well. Tonight is Moonlight premiere. I have to find out when Pushing Daisies is, though.

I’ve been less than productive today, at least writing wise. I did manage to pay bills, order my refills and schedule my check-up. October is doctor month. So was September, for everyone but me. I also need to go to campus at some point too. Now, I just need to figure out *when* that will be. Anyway. Enough babble. Time for me to cook dinner or something.

What is it with intelligent people and these damned ‘macro’ sayings?
They’re cute for about ten seconds. After that? It’s annoying.
*claws eyes out*

New photo for your enjoyment.
Quack Quack!

Have you ever needed to sketch out a simple sequence diagram to test an idea? What about create a complex sequence diagram to document your design? Then you need to check out Sequence Diagram Editor from effixis software. Simple yet effective, Sequence Diagram Editor makes it easy to create and maintain all your sequence diagram needs.

With a text based input form interface for data entry, and full support for auto-complete, Sequence Diagram Editor is the easiest sequence diagram software that you’ll find. A caret-like insertion position shows you exactly where new elements will be added, much like a word processor.

You can easily change the order of the elements or move things around with a drag & drop or cut & paste. Sequence Diagram Editor takes care of all the layout and formatting changes automatically. It also has additional elements like states, actions, timers, and scenarios make it ideal for usage for software design using UML sequence diagrams, call flow diagrams for cellular/telecom/wireless systems, interaction diagrams for system level design and more.

Sequence Diagram Editor is reasonably priced at $99 (USD) after a 14-day Free trial, so there is no major investment up front. There’s no harm in giving Sequence Diagram Editor a try to see if it will work for your sequence diagram needs.

I’m taking up residence on 3 Red, I swear. In case you’re curious, 3 Red is the optometry/opthalmology department at the local hospital. Last week was for Rob, this week was for Mom, in a couple more weeks, Rob goes back. I suppose I’ll be next, if my eyes don’t clear up.

Dancing with the Stars was better than I expected it to be. I need to do a full review of it later. Right now, I don’t feel good.

Everyone has seen these cash advance places in your local city. Every city has one, some have several. I don’t know about most people, but if you live in a small town and go somewhere that you don’t want to be seen, you know you’re going to be seen and word is going to get out.

With that said, everyone has had a period where their paycheck hasn’t stretched far enough, unless you have enough money that you don’t need to work. So why not stop the embarrassment of being seen in a check cashing/cash advance shop and check out Check City. They offer an online cash advance service that adheres to the laws of your state without having to leave your home.

Save yourself the potential embarrassment, but get the money you need. Get your cash advance online.

It’s not a well kept secret that I love books. It doesn’t matter the genre, as long as it catches my interest. And it’s not a well documented secret that if I could, I’d be buying books all the time. But, I can’t do that, so I take advantage of the great ebook resources online. Including Classic Bookshelf for a TON of great ‘old’ books in e-book format.

I read, and loved Walden. It’s got some of the best quotes. But on the flip-side, I also love, believe it or not, trashy romance novels sometimes. Something absolutely fluffy, cheap and predictable to the point that it’s mind numbing.

Yeah, I really do love books. As long as I can read it without sleeping, I’ll read it.

Samantha Harris Delivers a Daughter

Harris and her little one, who was born at 1:49 a.m. in Los Angeles weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long, are doing well.

Guess she won’t be on Dancing with the Stars when it premieres tomorrow night. I hope ABC had their ducks in a row and had someone ready to step into the role already. She wasn’t supposed to be due for a little bit longer. I figured this was going to happen.

Lists, lists, lists.. everybody has a list nowadays! Do you have the best direct marketing Lists for your business? Martin Worldwide, one of the largest, most successful mailing list providers in the nation offers customized mailing lists, telemarketing lists and fax lists to businesses of any size, from small to Fortune 1000.

With over a decade of experience and knowledge they can provide a variety of cost effective list services to ensure their client’s marketing success. With a database of over 290 million consumers and 14 million businesses, Martin Worldwide can guarantee it’s data integrity in writing.

As a result of their efforts, clients have experienced higher response rates from their marketing campaigns than they would have without lists from Martin Worldwide.

I sat this morning and redid my writing site. As much as I liked Textpattern, it wasn’t working well on the host. It was complaining, no matter how much I tweaked it. I even upgraded to the newest version and managed to make it give me a 505 error that would only go away when I deleted the required .htaccess. So, it yelled about *that* too. I was kind of torn about what backend to use. I could have done Serendipity or even Joomla easily. Both would work well too. I ended up using WordPress again, though.

I need to import my stuff from my nanogirl LJ still, so that all of it is in the same place. I have my stuff all over the damn place. Some of it on literotica, some on lj, some other places. I swear, I’m a disorganized MESS. I do like the looks of the new Paperback Writing, though. It looks good.

Tonight starts the start of the fall premiers for the major networks. Most of the reality shows have already started with The Biggest Loser two weeks ago and Survivor the other night. Coming up this week is Reaper, Pushing Daisies, Moonlight. Those are 3 of the shows that I *have* to see. I also want to see Cane, more Kitchen Nightmares, and maybe Nashville, but that’s opposite of Moonlight. Coming back for another season starting this week is Family Guy, Dancing With The Stars,

That’s a lot of great TV and for a change, the majority of what I want to watch is NOT Reality TV! Shocking.

Money, Money, Money.. that seems like a favorite topic for people. Money, politics and religion. Everyone talks about investing money, what the best way to invest is. Stock Market? That’s up and down more than… yeah I think you get the drift there! Savings Account? I suppose you could, but that money is only guaranteed as long as the bank doesn’t go bust.

Why not buy gold coin instead? It may sound odd, but if you look back through time, what is the one thing that has remained the same? There have been gold coins as currency. While the price will fluctuate, gold coin will always be worth something.

Monex offers several different ways of investing in gold coin, so you can choose different options.

Book Description
From New York Times bestselling author Julia London comes the passionate, suspenseful novel based on Guiding Light, the 2007 Emmy Award-winning daytime drama.

When his true love Tammy Winslow died saving his life, Jonathan Randall had only one reason left for existing: his baby daughter Sarah. But Sarah’s great-grandfather, powerful millionaire Alan Spaulding, was obsessed with bringing her up himself. Faking his death, Jonathan fled Springfield, leaving only his mother Reva Shayne aware he and Sarah were still alive.

After being on the run for months, Jonathan comes to the sleepy town of Tourmaline, California, with no intention of staying. But ten-month-old Sarah seems strangely happy here, and Jonathan himself feels an inexplicable pull toward the town. It’s almost as if Tammy’s ghost were whispering to him that he should stay for a while. But life is hard for a bad boy trying to turn good, until a local young woman comes into his life.

Aubrey Cross isn’t quite sure what attracts her to this stranger in Tourmaline. Perhaps it’s his dark good looks; perhaps it’s because she too has always felt as if she doesn’t belong in Tourmaline, even though her father is the popular town sheriff. Aubrey alone knows that this pillar of the community is in reality a sadistic abuser.

And, of course, with a past like Jonathan’s, it’s no surprise that life doesn’t stay peaceful in Tourmaline for long. Sheriff Zeke Cross is sure there are some secrets buried, and he’s not going to rest until he uncovers them. Can Reva protect Jonathan and Sarah before they’re discovered by the dangerous Alan Spaulding?

Featuring some of Guiding Light’s favorite characters, Jonathan’s Story is the passionate tale of how Jonathan may have finally found a second chance for true love…but who knows better than Jonathan how quickly everything you love can be ripped away from you?

Book Description
Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and always brutally honest, this is Rosie O’Donnell’s surprising account of the pain, regret, and euphoria involved in withdrawing from celebrity life–and the terrifying dangers of relapsing into the spotlight.

CELEBRITY DETOX is Rosie’s story of the years after she walked away from her top-rated TV show in 2002, and her reasons for going back on the air in 2006. In it, she takes you inside the world of talk show TV, speaking candidly about the conflicts and challenges she faced as cohost on ABC’s The View. Along the way Rosie shows us how fame becomes addiction and explores whether or not it’s possible for an addict to safely, and sanely, return to the spotlight.

Chronicling the ups and downs of “the fame game,” Rosie O’Donnell illuminates not only what it’s like to be a celebrity, but also what it’s like to be a mother, a daughter, a leader, a friend, a sister, a wife…in short, a human being.

About the Author
Rosie O’Donnell is one of America’s favorite celebrities. She was the host of The Rosie O’Donnell Show, one of the most popular shows of the decade, and has also appeared in numerous movies, television sitcoms, comedy specials and, most recently, on Broadway. She was also co-host of The View.

Everyone knows that finding a new job isn’t always an easy task. Especially if you’re seeking employment for the first time, or if you’ve been in the same industry for years and have been let go. We all know it happens and lets face it, it’s never an easy thing to face.

Have you ever thought about becoming a job recruiter? I’m not kidding, really, recruiters are invaluable to most industries. They make finding new employees easy for a business, as well as making it easier for a potential employee to find the place where they truly fit.

A.E. Feldmen Associates recruits employees for several industries, including financial and risk management services, legal and legal support services, communications and technology, human resources consulting, and luxury products. What’s the harm in exploring a new career direction? Become a recruiter and help others find their direction.

NaNoWriMo sign-ups re-launch in 9 days. That means there’s 40 days until the official start. I’m still not sure what I want to work on for this year’s NaNo Novel. I have a few ideas that I’d like to work on, but I don’t know if I can get into them enough to write 1667 words a day on any of them.

So, are you doing NaNoWriMo? If so, are you on my friends list on the NaNo site? Seriously tho. I did change my user name there, so it’s uniform with everything else. It’s now mzserena so feel free to add me if you haven’t already got me on your list there.

Side Note: I need new writing icons.

We decided to shut down StarFire Radio. There are a lot of reasons for the decision, but the underlying fact remains that it wasn’t fun any more. Once a hobby is no longer fun, it’s time to reconsider it. It wasn’t an easy decision, nor was it a popular one among the DJs, but it was one that we made.

Too many people will think that this is because of other people, but it’s not. We could have kept going just to spite those who wished to see us fail, but what good would that do? It would end up causing more heartache and misery in the end. The DJs who wish to continue on will get the highest recommendations from us, they stuck by us and did well.

As for me? I’m taking time away from DJing. I’ll bounce around and listen to our DJs that go to other stations. I will support those who supported us. But I have other things in my life to focus on, like my writing and my husband and family. Maybe, down the road, you’ll be able to hear me on the air again. But it won’t be for a while.

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in StarFire Radio, be it as a DJ or a listener. We all appreciate you.

With everyday stress, it’s not hard let yourself imagine yourself tucked away on a white sandy beach somewhere. Why not give your imagination some reality with an All Inclusive Mexico Vacation soon? Take a break from the every day and lounge on the beach at a Karisma Hotel – Resort. They have set out to create an all new level of all-inclusive resort. They make sure that they are providing the most distinct and innovative getaway for everyone who chooses to stay with them.

One way that they make each experience unique is by having resorts that cater strictly to the honeymooner and lovebird set. They offer custom wedding packages and ensure tranquil and romantic vacations for the couples that want them. But have no fear, they don’t cater just to couples, they have resorts for everyone. Karisma Hotel – Resorts caters to anyone who wants to get away from the hubbub of daily life.

Who wants to escape to Mexico with me?

Fall Television: Kitchen Nightmares Premiers on Fox

If you like Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen, you’ll like Kitchen Nightmares. I really enjoyed the premiere. I will tell you that the articles do contain a few spoilers for the episode, so if you haven’t seen it and plan to. You’re warned.

More TV preview/reviews coming soon.

Creative Time Usage: Things to Do at the Laundromat

I’m shocked that they wanted to pay for this article. It was a sheer act of desperation and lack of ability to research anything else while I was at the laundromat that made me write it. But it seems that they liked it enough to pay. I’m not going to complain however, I like getting paid.

All of my published Content

One one of my better articles, but it’s done.

Fall Television: Reaper Preview

It seems like every time you look, someone has come out with a new low-sugar, low-fat, low-cal, low-whatever product on the market. Everyone wants to be healthier, so they fall right into the hype of the new products, only to find out that they don’t taste as good as the original.

Coca-Cola is no different, they have brought out new Coke zero. What’s different about Coke zero than other low sugar soft drinks? Coke zero has zero sugar with the real taste of Coke. Personally, I don’t drink Coke, but if they did manage to keep the real taste, without the sugar, I might be willing to try it.