Switching Servers! June 27, 2009

I am trying to give my blog some Cred. lol. I know, that sounds odd, but it’s true! I am moving this blog to dariasblog.com and I hope that everything works out pretty well!

For those of you who visited me here, THANK YOU! Please continue to visit on the new website! Thank you, thank you and thank you!

I am hoping to post my first official ‘hosted’ post tonight. But it may be up tomorrow afternoon, once I figure out all of the plugins and widgets. I’m looking forward to that!

Thank you for coming by, and I look forward to seeing you all at dariasblog.com…

Weekend Plans June 26, 2009

Even though Central Florida has had a *lot* of rain over the past few weeks (although it has slowed down a bit), I almost hope that the weekend is a rainy one. Sure, I would like to get outside, do some gardening, relax in the pool and get some sun… But I have a lot to do and if I don’t have the option of going outside, I have nothing else to do but my work!

Makes sense, right?

I would like to take some time and really read the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog emails that Darren Rowse sent out during the program. I want to immerse myself in them. To understand them, and put them to good use. He put a lot of work into that 31 day challenge, and I feel it’s only fair to take advantage of that by using the information he was so willing to hand out.

I have also found some good, basic information through the Become A Blogger website.  I downloaded two great reports that I look forward to reading – Roadmap to Become a Blogger and Blog Profits Blueprint - and they have 10 free videos that I would like to watch that are pretty much a step-by-step guide to setting up a blog.  Yes, I *know* that I already have a blog, but this is a good tutorial for when I decide to get a domain name and find a web host.  I had tried this a few years ago, but I don’t remember much about what I did. 

On that note, I need to brainstorm.  I need a catchy domain name.  I like what I have now, and DariasBlog.com might actually work, but I would like to be sure of that.  I also need to find some good, fairly inexpensive web hosts.  I found a few, but have to decide on which ones meet my particular needs.  At the moment, that should be very simple, but eventually I would like to create a website/blog with a checkout process.

I have a lot to think about and research, but, should there be rain, I will have no problem getting it all done!  I wouldn’t mind teaching myself how to use Joomla!, either.  I tried that last week and failed miserably…  I’m thinking WordPress is still the way to go, but we shall see! 

Any suggestions on where to register my domain name?  What do you use?  What about a web host?

It’s been Forever June 2, 2009

Image by The Gordons via Flickr

And I am sorry..

No excuses.  I got off my track and lost focus.  I’m sure it has happened to most everyone in the past.  I was so excited to begin the Problogger 31 day challenge!  Work, wedding and life in general got in the way.

Today, I got home, checked my TweetDeck,  and looked at my computer’s desktop.  That was when I realized that there was an icon on there that I hadn’t really read yet.  It was a .pdf of John Chow’s eBook “How to Make Money Online.”  I opened it, read most of it (I will definitely go back and read it again and again), and got a new look at things.  Or, more of a renewed look at blogging and the lifestyle.  I guess it gave me a bit of a kick in the pants.

Anyway, I have decided to take a day or so and re-start the 31 Day Challenge.  I have all the emails, so why not?

There are a lot of things I want to revisit in my life.  Blogging is a big one, followed closely by my desire to work at home full time.  Or even part time for that matter!  For some time, I was under the impression that working from home made me seem like I was taking the ‘lazy way out’ of actually working.  Boy was I wrong!

I had never really thought about the start-up stuff…  The decision to work at home, the choice of what kinds of things I can actually *do* from home, how to get my name out there and trusted, and the list just goes on and on.  (By the way, I would LOVE to hear from any of you out there that currently work from home!  Tips, advice, etc.!!!)  There is a LOT of work to be done, and my feeling is – Bring it!

I think I need to sit down and write a list of things I can do, skills I have, that would help me out with this endeavor…  And maybe, IF I am motivated enough (hehe), I could blog about the experience!  Wouldn’t that be fun?

**Sorry, but I am not responsible for some of the language the following articles may, or may not, have.  Thank you.

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The Top 5 SuperHero Powers I Would Love to Have April 8, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

I know you have done this:

You watch a movie or tv show – a’la X-Men, Spider-Man, Heroes, and the like;  You see a cool/funny move (like when Peter Parker tries to figure out how to get the web to fly out of his wrists);  You walk into the next room and say something like, “Hey Babe! I’m a web-spinner!” and you flick your wrist like you saw on the movie.  More than likely, your friend or significant other cocked their head and looked at you with a kind of blank face.  Well, unless they are also comic book geeks..    =)

Anyway, I have had more than one of these episodes occur in my home over the past few years, so I know what you’re feeling!  And so, I am using that fodder to give you an insight onto which Super Hero powers I would love to have – be it all at one time, or grouped together to make me INVINCIBLE!  ::Insert generic evil laugh here::

1. Time Travel – This isn’t all that exciting, but I love history.  I wasn’t all that great in my history classes, but I would love to live for a month or so in the Dark Ages, during the Italian Renaissance, and maybe even during the Ice Age…  But that would take way more research!
2. Weather Control – Okay, it’s not your run-of-the-mill power, but watching Storm do some crazy stuff in the X-Men flicks really pushed me in that direction.  It would be pretty badass to be able to strike something with lightning, or blow down an evil building!
3. I had Water Control as my number three, but I think I am going to replace that with Flying.  I am not one for heights, but when you think of it, if you can fly – you don’t need to be that high off the ground!  Besides, if you have flight as an ability, do you really need to fear falling?
4. Shape Shifting.  I think I would like to be able to shape myself into different beings – rather than objects.  Well, as long as I was able to mimic them perfectly.  I wouldn’t want to look like another person, or a dog, without being able to exactly what they know how to do.  It could cause some precarious situations.
5. Teleportation. My last superpower would be the ability to Teleport to anywhere of my choosing.  Think ‘Jumper’ but with less work.  He had to see where he was going beforehand.  I don’t want to bother with that stuff.  Show me a picture and I am there!  MUCH easier!

So, there you have it.  If I were to have any type of super power, these are my top five.  And believe me, I had a pretty long list of what I would choose.  These just happened to win out.

What about you?  Let your inner geek out and tell me what  you would choose for your top five!

It's Day Three of The ProBlogger Challenge April 8, 2009

And I have not done so well. 

Luckilly, it *is* only day three, and I have some time tonight to make up for what I have missed.  I did write the ‘elevator statement’ as advised on Day 1, but I did it on Day 2. 

Day 2’s assignment was to write a ‘list post’ – which I spent all day thinking about, but haven’t gotten to post it yet.  I have all of my notes at home, sitting in front of my computer, just waiting to be put into a blog post.  Alas, it was not meant to be yesterday.

Today’s assignment is to promote the post.  I fully intend on doing just that via Twitter, the Problogger Comment sections and probably on my FaceBook page.  I am sure more thoughts will come to me, but I haven’t really gotten into that part yet.  First, I need to get my post up, right? 

I am also thinking of another idea for a completely different blog.  This one is obviously going the more personal route – which is fine, but when it comes down to it – who (other than people who know me), really cares about what I do on a daily basis?  I think I need to make my blog a bit more infomational.  I want people to look at what I write and say, “Hey, I didn’t know that before I stumbled across that girl’s blog!”

I am hoping that this 31 Day challenge helps me to do just that!  Or if it cannot help this particular blog, I can apply what I have learned to a different blog.  (Probably under a pseudonym, as to not turn off readers who may have seen this one!)     =)

ProBlogger Challenge Postponed March 31, 2009

I am not sure what happened, but a quick recap is that I read Darren Rowse’s email and it made it clear that the Blog Challenge will be postponed until April 6th..  I guess we shall see..

Music is my Life March 30, 2009

Isn’t it everyone’s?

Ever since I can remember, I have always loved listening to music.  I guess it had to have started in grade school – I used to use the tv and radio to force me to concentrate on my homework.  It sounds a bit backward, I know – but it really did work! 

I also attribute my love of music to two years of flute lessons, a year of ballet, tap and jazz classes when I was in kindergarten and my dad listening to ‘oldies’ while cooking breakfast on the weekends. 

Regardless of what caused this passion to form in my heart and brain, I have just always enjoyed listening to whatever was on a station that had decent reception.  Oddly enough, I never really collected tapes or listened to my walkman.  (Yes, I said it – I had tapes and a walkman.)  I do, however, have a pretty decent collection of CDs, and they aren’t all of any one particular genre, either.  Though, I will admit, I do not have a whole lot of hard rock.  And by that, I mean groups like Metallica, Pantera, anything that would have been seen on the Headbanger’s Ball back in the days when MTv actually played music videos! 

It got to the point that back in July of 2001 I took the class at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Davie, Florida.  I loved it and was really (in my opinion and maybe one or two of the instructors’) quite good.  I could write spots pretty well, and deliver them clearly and with energy.  However, with digital radio taking over, and more and more stations going with skeleton crews or syndicated shows, there wasn’t much open when it came time for me to get my foot in the door.

I briefly had a spot with freakradio.net – which was really pretty cool, but short lived due to computer issues.  I think it has actually shut down since that time, which is sad because it had a pretty good group of people working on it.  I would *definitely* do that again if I could find a similar website.  (If you know of anything like that, I would be glad to check it out!)

In the meantime, I happened to be on twitter following BlueJeanBaby and I clicked on one of her links.  It lead me to Blip.fm which is FANTASTIC!  It may not make me an actual DJ, but it’s pretty close!  I have actually started to blip some songs on twitter, and I have even gotten some props for what I play!  It’s a neat little site and I plan to use it often.  If you happen to see DJDaria – that’s ME!  What’s cool is that I can blip anything from ABBA to Snoop Dog and everything around and in between – and if you don’t want to listen to it, you don’t have to!

Maybe it’s just me, but this is probably one of the cooler things I have come across on the Web since Twitter.  =)  Either that, or I am a complete Geek.  The Jury is still out….

Problogger's 31 Day Challenge March 26, 2009

By now, I am sure you have heard of, if not joined, Darren Rowse’s new challenge.  Well, I am under the assumption that it is a ‘challege’ – but more of a personal one.  The point is to spend 31 days building a better blog.  Beginning on April 1st, Darren will be sending out hints and suggestions on what to do to make your blog better! 

I know that he has done things like this in the past, but I was not into blogging then, so I am very excited about this opportunity!  If you are interested, you can sign up here.  I did this last night.  I got an email with a confirmation link, and that was it.

I hope that it helps me out, because as you might be able to tell – I need it!  I don’t plan on using this particular blog to make money or anything, but I would like to start a money-making blog somewhere in the near future!  This could be the stepping stone I need!  Wish me luck!

Problogger’s 31 Day Challenge March 26, 2009

By now, I am sure you have heard of, if not joined, Darren Rowse’s new challenge.  Well, I am under the assumption that it is a ‘challege’ – but more of a personal one.  The point is to spend 31 days building a better blog.  Beginning on April 1st, Darren will be sending out hints and suggestions on what to do to make your blog better! 

I know that he has done things like this in the past, but I was not into blogging then, so I am very excited about this opportunity!  If you are interested, you can sign up here.  I did this last night.  I got an email with a confirmation link, and that was it.

I hope that it helps me out, because as you might be able to tell – I need it!  I don’t plan on using this particular blog to make money or anything, but I would like to start a money-making blog somewhere in the near future!  This could be the stepping stone I need!  Wish me luck!

Wedding Planning Begins March 24, 2009

Wedding rings found through Google Images

As I may have mentioned in the past, I have been engaged since last April.  The proposal was completely unexpected, and not very romantic – but it suited the moment, if that makes sense.  My then-boyfriend had just gotten through with an interview to become a manager at a local restaurant.  He had gotten the job and we went out on the town to celebrate.  On our way home, we stopped at a gas station/convenience store and before we got in, he turned around, got on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I was shocked, but the tears came almost instantly.  It was definitely NOT how I had pictured it… Heck, he didn’t even have the ring with him at the time!  He later told me that he just felt that the moment was right and if he didn’t do it, he was going to lose me. 

 

I *did* get the ring when we got home – and it’s really quite lovely!

So, we finally set a date for August of this year, and we decided on going to Las Vegas.  I know that both of our parents will be a little disappointed, but when it comes down to it, it’s not their decision.  Besides, we will be using the services of a Priest, so they should be happy with that.  It’s just that churches are so very expensive  if you are not a part of the diocese…  We had found a great church in St. Augustine, but it was going to be upwards of $2,500 since neither of us were members…  Forget that!

Now, seeing as how I have never been to Vegas, I am completely overwhelmed by all of the options out there!  Chapels, churches, gazebos, helicopters, weddings with Elvis or Buddy Holly, the list goes on and on… 

I have been looking for thoughts and ideas though The Knot – which is  a pretty great website for the engaged and the newly wed!  There are checklists, blogs, honeymoon ideas, links to printers, caterers, wedding planners… I was thrilled to have come across it!  It helped me realize that there are a ton of details that I didn’t even think about!

There is so much for me to write/vent about my wedding, so I am sure there will be a lot more posts regarding it.  If I can figure it out, somewhere down the line I may try to move the posts to a separate page, as to not overload anyone with stuff they don’t really care to read or scan through!  Isn’t that nice of me?  I thought so!   =)