Peek-A-BOO!

I’m just popping in for a quick update. I want to thank those of you who have contacted me asking when I’ll start blogging again. Well, I still don’t have a computer and it’s difficult to maintain a blog using the library computer. So I don’t think I’ll resume my blog until I can afford one.

I’m doing well. No depression in sight for quite a long while. However, I have lost my “professional distance”, concerning patients. This means that I sympathize with them too much. Not a good thing when you’re a Nurses Aide. I could start crying and getting depressed again. I might have to switch careers. So I’m still working things out. I’m still battling the results of depression and reaction to the sudden deaths of my 3 relatives. I find that it’s easy to fall, but much harder to get up.

My MSW shrink seem to help some, but he is very limited. Some people told me about “tools” that my shrink would give me to help with depression. But 98% of the time he just tells me to get out and about, also to make real time new friends. (I lost friends when I quit my job.) I have to get a new shrink due to a change in my health insurance. Maybe that’s a good thing. He is easy to talk to though.

I’m doing good health wise. I’ve maintained my weight loss of about 50 lbs, but have not lost any more. I have to get back to it now that the weather is nice. Today will be a beautiful day, 80 degrees (27c) and sunny, a good day for a brisk walk.

Same-sex marriage passed in New York State! Hallelujah! We became the sixth state to do so and are the largest by far. They expect same-sex marriages to double in the country! I would love to see the first gay couple get married in my state. But I’m sure I’m not the only one. I would love to say that it ends discrimination, but some jerk in line was spouting off the other day. He said “next people will be marrying animals”. Also, “in the old testament they killed gays”. One lady with children spoke up and said, “Do you have to talk about it here?” She was obviously upset. I never know how to respond to prejudice. At lest someone spoke up. Others had disgusted looks on their faces.

Bravo to Republican Senator Jim Alesi (Rochester area) for being the first Republican to vote for same-sex marriage!

Well, see you later folks!

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Related post: I'll be back in Spring?

I'll be back in Spring?

I've been off-line. My old computer died. I've been trying to keep in touch by using the library computer and my not so smart, smart phone.

Unfortunately my smart phone hasn't helped much. I either couldn't see or log into 1/3 of the blogs on my blog roll. I couldn't see many of your pictures, etc. It was also unreliable with a ton of error signs, etc. In other words my smart phone was too unreliable and inadequate for blogging and commenting on blogs. Therefore, I have decided not to renew my smart phone in January and to put the money towards necessitates like food instead.

As for using the library computer, although Rochester hasn't had any real major snow storms, it's been an unusually cold and snowy winter. Rochester broke the December snowfall record. Like most Rochesterians, I've been hibernating this winter and so have rarely gone to the library.

I might be back in spring or summer, but frankly it's very difficult to maintain a blog and stay in touch with my blog buddies without a computer. Hopefully I'll be back soon. I hope you don't take me off your blog roll, Twitter, etc.

I want to thank all my blog buddies especially those on my blog roll. Everyone on my blog roll has enriched my life in one way or another. When I first started this blog I never thought I could have real friends by blogging, but I now believe that I have found some. A HUGE THANKS to EVERYONE on my blog roll for enriching my life!!!

I'll check my blog responses and email in a few weeks, and then I'll be off-line for winter. Have a nice winter!

P.S. I'm still seeing a counselor and working to get my life back on track after years of depression. As always prayers and/or good thoughts are greatly appreciated!

New cell phone, but how can I see your blog?

I'm trying to stay in touch with my blog buddies, so I bought a new cell phone. I needed a prepaid one since my credit history isn't good. I bought Straight Talk by Walmart (Samsung R451C). The problem is that I get an error sign 95% of the time. "Document too large for availble memory." It's very frustrating! I've heard that I can sign up somewhere on the net for something that will make it easier to see blogs from my cell phone. Does anyone know where I can sign up? Feel free to email me, (email above.)

Can you write a blog post using a cell phone?

I'm thinking about getting a good cell phone, one with the web, (if God or Santa provides.) I would need to get a pre-paid one. My old computer might not be worth getting back on-line.

Can you write a blog post using a cell phone? Can you see that little screen well enough to read blog posts? I miss visiting my blog buddies on a regular basis, and hope to soon.

What kind of cell phone do you have, and would you recommend it?

How Do You Prioritize Blog Commenting?

We all look forward to receiving comments. I have about 60 blogs that I read and comment on. I also have an old, slow, computer with dial-up so it takes a long time to download some blogs. It is very time consuming. Generally my method is to start at the top of my reader list and go down. It takes me many hours, more then a week to make my rounds. I have time to do it now, but once I get a regular job my method will be impractical. I was wondering how you prioritize your blog reading/commenting? Do you have any tips to make the process faster?

Sometimes it takes up to 10 minutes for me to download a blog. Occasionally my computer will freeze, and I have to start again. I'm sure that there are many others in my position. One way that you can make your blog more accessible is to cut down on the number of posts you have per page. (Some say the maximum should be 7.) As I wrote before, "factors that influence the load times of pages include the number and size of images, extra items like flash, the amount of excess code, and the size of your pages."

Some people might say that they want a lot of posts per page because people only tend to look at the 1st page. However, if your blog takes a long time to download people will get frustrated and leave. So you will be losing readers, and comments in the long run.

I want to thank those who have made their blogs more user friendly...

Lady Banana

Speedycat Hollydale Page

rambling stuff (Mike Golch)


Related Post - Top 10 Easy Tips to Make Your Blog More User Friendly

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Before You Use Your Real Name...

Before you use your real name on your blog, read this partial post entry from Speedy Hollydale Page ...

Here is the thing, if you use your real identity EVER anywhere on the net, you are crazy. Just don't do it. We could go on all day about copy writes, personal privacy issues, and how we all "OWN" what we write on our blogs and other media sources, but truth is once you hit enter, your content is everywhere and recorded by much more than Google or Facebook. Think you have a private blog that is not searched by bots?? Think again. I could publish something, erase or alter it, but feeds and readers will have already captured every word. FOREVER. There is not privacy on the net, and there never was. I will say again ..... do not use your real identity or true address anywhere - anytime.

Thanks Speedykins for letting me use this good info! ;)

Some Post Ideas - Keep on Blogging!

We all hit the blog wall from time to time. The following are some post ideas. Some are just my thoughts, others research, some are your ideas. I had a post recently asking for your ideas, and if you responded to that post in any way, then your link is here.... Thank you for contributing!

You don't need to write a great amount. It's suggested that the average post be the size of an e-mail 1 to 3 paragraphs long. You can still post a few times a week even with a busy schedule. Here are some ideas...
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There are some easy to do posts (memes?) that are for specific days. Most involve just a photo, with maybe a few sentences. This is not an exhaustive list. See websites for instructions. (It seems like a good way to network too.)

Wordless Wednesday

Fridays Funnies - (Link?)

Mellow Yellow Mondays.

Music Monday

Meet My Friends Monday

Camera Critters

Through My Eyes Fridays

Wordless Chicken Tuesday

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Some other ideas. The easiest are (*) stared. relatively easy (especially if it's taken from on-line) will have a (+) plus sign.

+A Poem - Yours, or someone else.

+A Song/video - Yours, or someone else.

+Comedy - A joke, funny story, video, or photo.

*Guest Speaker (ah, blogger) - Ask someone else to write a post for you.

A Contest - Give away money, or a gift - good examples - Beetle's Memories "n" Ramblings and Acrostic Only

*Post a famous quoit- You can say a few words about it if you want.

Personal Update - What's going on in your life? Tell us about you.

*Short Posts - good example - Banana Shorts

Topical Post or Nitch - Whatever interests you crafts, hobbies, sports, movies/book reviews, Star Trek, technology, politics, etc.

Write a Review - On a movie, restaurant, T.V. show, etc.

Interview Someone - This can be done by e-mail, or you can put it on audio or video.

+Ask a Question- Post a question, or take a survey.

Diary - Be very careful if you make it public. What you write will be on the net forever.

*Re-post - Copy a post from the past and post it again.

+Quiz - You can use an on-line quiz, or make up a few questions yourself.

Make a List - Example - 100 best albums by women, or a top 10 list.

Your dog/cat - Writing about your animal/s now & then.

Meme - Pass it along.

Award - Pass it along.

+Personal photos & family update photos.

Technology - The latest gadget.

Weird, or Unusual News.

Politics - Careful you don't start WW3 ;)

Recession Related Tips - How to stretch the dollar, save money, indoor games, gardening, knitting clothes, reduce consumption.

Letters - to your son/daughter

Informative, or how to posts
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Here are your ideas taken from the comments on my post- "Your Input Needed! - Blogging (Post) Ideas" Thank you for commenting!


Mike Golch and Babs (Beetle) both liked a Mixed bag - silly stuff & Comedy along with serious and informative items.

Amias said she could use more humor to laugh at.

dmarks said to look at Tara's Eclectic Spaghetti for some good ideas.

Jaffer said that Drowsey Monkey has a collection.

Lilly's Life said that she has lots of ideas.

twofinches said, "I like what one blogger I go to does. He asks the same interesting question to individuals with a wide variety of thought streams. They send him their answers and he formats them into a single post."

LadyBanana When she really gets stuck turns to Plinky

The Daily Blonde says the "best writing is just from the heart...or the gut... REAL LIFE is best...and funny...yes, we all need funny."

Ghost Dansing uses satellites

S'onnie says "just taking a walk and looking out the windows are a good source of idea. Plus reading the news and giving your two cents worth over a story is always good :) "

74WIXYgrad trys to have a "little bit of everything, I just try to stay away from political issues there." He says that he uses original or old jokes, and likes to write poetry.

Speedcat Hollydale had a list of ideas...

1. write a short story
2. to a news piece with your own personal spin
3. meme
4. Ask someone to send you questions
5. Do a photo themed post. You can find 10 billion images on the net.
6. write on a topic you know a LOT about
7. Re-live an old memory from the past
8. do a humor piece ... things you find funny from the week
9. Do a review of a movie, show, or blog
10. Just start typing. Many times I have no idea what will come out, but just start typing!!
Hmmm, ok, I know that physiology is your thing. I found a web-page that might give you some topical ideas.

Both dcr and meleahrebeccah said that they are both out of ideas and looking.

L'uragano (The Hurricane) and Giggle Pixie like the suggestions that they got from others in the comment section.

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Here is a list of more ideas - Wondering What To Blog About?
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The idea for this post is a response to Health Psych's post - "Hitting a blog wall." She's back! Her blog has reopened. Please visit her and say Hi.
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Related Posts - Top 10 Easy Tips to Make Your Blog More User Friendly
Your Input Needed! - Blogging (Post) Ideas

Some of this information has been taken from -
Starting a Blog? 12 ideas for blog posts
What To Blog About During A Recession
How to Choose What to Blog About
And YOU! Thanks for your suggestions!

Did you lose some Google Blogger "Followers"?

I looked at my Google Blogger "Follow this blog" list, and noticed that the number had dropped overnight. Well it looks like The Daily Blonde has the answer. To fix it go to "dashboard", on the left you will see "manage" click on that. To the right of each blog if you see "anonymously", that needs to be changed to "publicly." Now you will appear on that person's blog. I imagine they have to do the same to reappear on your blog. So spread the word! If you have trouble go to The Daily Blonde and read her post. She has more information. Added Feb 25th - Babs (Beetle) just told me that..."For those that are not with Blogger. They just need to 'stop following' and then 'follow' again and it fixes things."

I've also noticed Google Blogger Blogs have been temporally disappearing. Not the whole blog, but the posts disappear. I was told that mine disappeared, and I noticed two others did also. You can still go to a post from your reader, but you have to click on the individual post, or the posts won't show. If anyone has information on that please let me know.

Now Closed For Friday 13th

I'm not tempting fate. ;) As of now this blog is closed for Friday 13th. My life has taken a bit of a turn recently in that I have had some negative thoughts. I think its' good to take this day off from blogging. I will avoid black cats, witches, and masked men with large knifes.

Have a BOOutiful day!


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Your Input Needed! - Blogging (Post) Ideas

Every once in awhile just about everyone hits a wall conserving what to write about. It happens to me too. I'm dong fine now, but wanted to get some ideas for a new post I'm preparing to write. The post will be about blogging, or post ideas. I'm looking for your input. So what different types of post ideas can you think of? I will add some of your ideas to my new post. So please go ahead and brain storm! ;)


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Happy New Year! (Blog- 1 year old)

If this photo looks familiar, it is one of my first post. The difference is that many more of you are seeing it now. I want to thank all of my readers. Your companionship, ideas, interaction, advice, and yes sometimes friendship has meant more to me that I ever thought it would!

Wishing you the best year ever!

THANK YOU,
Awake

I'm Baaack! (On-line)

I'm back on-line, but still working out the bugs. I don't know how to turn of the pop-up block which makes it difficult to go to your blogs from my reader. I can circumvent it, but it's time consuming. I'm way behind in reading blogs. I sill need to pay my old server, but at least I'm on-line. ;o) Please be patient with me. It might take me awhile to get to your blog, but I'm coming. I also will be applying for more on-line jobs.

Networking Google Blogger Tip & Remodeling Update

About two months ago I tried a different way of networking. Google Blogger had recently come out with their "Follow this Blog" reading list. (look to your left, please click and join me!) I thought I'd follow the Blogger reading list trail. I clicked on one icon from a blog buddy, which lead me to another, & another, so on. If I came to a dead end, I would just double back. Of course being the choosy type, I looked over the persons profile & blog first to see if we might match. Then I left a comment, and added my name to their "follow this blog" list. I was pleasantly surprised when most of the people returned comment. In fact some are becoming regulars to my blog &, visa versa. I'm a bit slow to update my Blog Roll, but it should triple in size soon! ;o)

Remodeling Update - I took a breather from remodeling for awhile, but need to finish. It's about 90% done, but I'm stuck. I'm trying to find a Blogger compatible mail box icon that links directly to my e-mail. I'm also looking for a Blogger "Top Commenters" list that links individuals listed to their blogs. The one that I've seen does not work correctly. The count is off. If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. Remember they have to be Google Blogger compatible. By the way, I will be taking the "Political Non-Partisan Sites" list down soon. If interested you might want to bookmark the links.

So what do you think of the remodeling so far? Is there something that you would really want to see that I don't have? I am open to suggestions. ;o) Thanks!

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Are you having trouble with my Feed?

I just got a comment from my blog buddy Jedi Master Daryl He's been having trouble with my feed.

He writes - " Hmmmm... I have no idea why my blog doesn't want to play nice with your feed.

I just tried redoing the link, and that didn't help.

When I click on your name and post on my blogroll, 1/2 the time it goes to an old post or just the outline of your blog, and the other 1/2 it actually goes to the right place.

I guess that is okay if I manually check your blog. But the problem is that it doesn't seem to want to pull your blog to the top when you write a fresh post. It seems to be stuck on a post you wrote like 8 months ago.

I have no idea why. Sorry. :-(

Is anyone else having any problems with my feed in any way? Please let me know, and when you think the problem started. I'm trying to figure out what is happening here. THANKS!

Top 10 Easy Tips to Make Your Blog More User Friendly

When I first started blogging I read a good book about how to blog. I remember some of the ideas, but unfortunately have forgotten the title of the book. Some of the following are taken from that book, other ideas are from the Internet.

1.) Have an "About" page - Tell readers something about you. Make it short, to the point, but interesting. Tell them something that is different about you then most.

2.) Use readable fonts - Take a good look at your blog as if your seeing it for the first time. Can you read the font? Is it large enough? Are the colors in such a mixture that it can be read? Recently I saw a blog that had black font on cranberry colored background. I couldn't read it because of the color combination. My blog buddy LadyBanana found this cool tool so you can "test your blog in many browsers... If you are wondering if your blog looks good in all browsers check it out. It take a little while to work." - BrowserShots (Thanks LB!)

3.) Place Social Bookmarks on your blog.

4.) Page Load Speed - There are still a large number of Internet users that use slow dial-up connections. Even with high-speed connections some pages just don’t load very quickly. "Most of your visitors will be fairly impatient and pages that load slowly could chase them away...Factors that influence the load times of pages include the number and size of images, extra items like flash, the amount of excess code, and the size of your pages." It will be more user friendly to keep the number of post per page low. A good example of this is my blog buddy eastcoastlife. She keeps the number of her posts per page low, about 3. (Maximum should be 7.) As you can see her blog certainly doesn't suffer for it, just the opposite. She gets tons of visitors, and often 70, 80, 90 or more comments per post! Way to go eastcoastlife!

5.) Make sure your blog has an RSS feed - Some people may not read a blog simply because they don't have that option available.

6.) Post should be the length of an E-mail - Most posts should be brief, about 1 to 3 paragraphs long. I realize that some of us need to get things off our chests, but try to fit some short posts in too. Many readers have dozens of blogs to read, and may not comment on your blog if most of your posts are long.

7.) Reader focus - Present your posts in a way that speaks to your visitor's wants and needs. It's fine to have a personal blog about yourself, but write mostly posts that you think would be of particular interest to your readers.

8.) Typographical errors - Check both spelling and grammatical errors so that your blog looks more professional. Admittedly I'm not the best at this, but at least I make an attempt. Run it through spell check, and grammar check if you have it.

9.) Use tags - This will organize your posts, and help readers find a specific past post that may interest them.

10.) Read the source list below - It will give you many more ideas... Happy Blogging!



Sources -
9 (+1) Tips For Writing User-Friendly Content
10 Styling Tips to Make Your Business Blog More Uses Friendly...
4 Characteristics for User-Friendly Websites (#4 taken for here)
101 Blog Tips I learned in 2006
Blogging Tips for Beginners
So You Want to Be a Blogging Star? by NY Times
Blogging Tips - Hundreds of Resources For Finding Content...

Social Networking - Which community do you like?

MyBlogLog, del.icio.us, digg, Twitter, reddit, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Facebook, Brightkite. The list goes on, and on. Since I've been remodeling my blog, I am also giving networking a second look. Which ones are the most popular, or best when it comes to blog networking? Which is your favorite? My favorite is Twitter.

I've joined several communities that I'm listing here. I would love to be add as your friend, or part of your community.

MyBlogLog

Twitter

Blogger Friends is to your left.

Technorati

StumbleUpon

I just joined StumbleUpon because my blog buddy DeboHobo is crazy about it, so I thought I'd give it a try. On StumbleUpon when someone clicks on "awakeinrochester's blog", (bottom right), your suppose to be able to get my feed. It doesn't work. Can anyone suggest how to fix it?


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My Blog Changes + Thanks

I want to talk to you about several items. -

First, my blog will have a new look...

You will notice several changes in my blog soon. I'm going to have more "toys" or wegits on my blog. I may have to change my template so I can neatly fit the wegits on my sidebar. I don't want my blog to look to messy, and it's already starting too. So it might have a new look soon.

Second, I will talk about a variety of subjects, not just politics...

I have had a lot of political posts lately. I feel that it is important for me to have a political voice here, but I also acknowledge that I have some blog readers from other countries who visit my blog often. I don't want to leave them out. Therefore, I will have more of a mixture of posts.

Third, I want to thank...

I want to thank those wonderful, faithful, readers from other countries for continuing to visit my blog, and for your recent comments, even though I have harped on U.S. politics. My thanks goes out to...

eastcoastlife (Singapore)

Lady Banana (London, UK)

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (New Zealand)

I also want to thank several other people. We may not see eye to eye on political matters, but you have listened me to express my beliefs, (in some cases on your blog), and still remain welcoming to me. And my thanks also to some others who have expressed their political views even though they normally don't. I'm glad that you have felt comfortable enough to express your views on my blog. My policy concerning this blog is that I welcome a variety of opinions as long as you are kind, courteous, and respectful of one another. My thanks goes out to...

Against the Grain

Hahn at Home

Lilly's Life

Momma Mia, Mea Culpa

shrimplate

Spiritual Brush Strokes

twofinches


I hope that I didn't leave anyone out. I hope you forgive me if I did.

Forth, your suggestions...

I'm busy these days and might not have a lot of time to blog. However, I was wondering if there is anything that you want me to write a post on? What would you like to hear? I can't guarantee that I will blog about it, but will consider it. I appreciate your input. ;o)


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VOTE NOW - "What do you think of Gov. Sarah Palin?"

My Google Blogger poll on Sarah Palin ends in less then 24 hours. Remember if you don't vote, don't complain. ;o)










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I Miss My Toys!

I use to have toys here, blog Stats and traffic feeds. I really enjoyed them. It always amazed me that people from all over the world were dropping by to visit my little blog. I felt more connected to the world, and less lonely. Of course I appreciate your comments as well, even if we don't see eye to eye on politics and such. I'm glad for your visit, and feel privileged that you took the time to comment.

Several months ago I had difficulties with a certain person, and removed all my stats and traffic feeds. Things have been very peaceful ever since I jumped off of that persons emotional runaway train. Anyways, Blogger has come out with something new. I think it's a traffic feed, and I want to try it. I also want some of my other toys back.

So I made the decision to bring back some toys. If she visits and starts her games again, I will just put my toys away. No big deal. I just don't want to get on her emotional run away train again. Sorry, trains aren't allowed in my toy box!

P.S. - Comment moderation is on.

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Palin Bashing

Well, Gov. Sarah Palin was picked as McCain's running mate. It seems that either people love her, or despise her.

I'm thrilled that a women has been chosen in this election, but I'm still voting for Obama. (I voted for Hillary in the primaries). I'm not crazy about Obama, and don't get this rock star thing that people see in him. I'm voting for him because of the issues. I think that he will get us out of Iraq quicker, reducing bloodshed, and will lead our country in a better direction then McCain.

It really bothers me that some people are bashing Palin. They are ridiculing, and belittling her. This is going to be a close race. Do they think that bashing her will help gain votes for Obama? Don't they realize they are hurting their party, and Obama's chances of winning by mud slinging? They could turn people off that are on the fence. They seem oblivious to that. These aren't stupid people. I'm talking about intelligent people who don't seem to understand. It's so frustrating!

Added Later - Some people say terrible things against Gov. Palin then say "I'm just joking", it's just "humor". Rapper Eminem use to say terrible things about homosexuals and women, then say "I'm just joking". Some lyrics from "If I Get Locked up Tonight" by Eminem - "...I set a f**king girl on fire with a curling iron. Psych I'm just joking, for Christ sake, don't get so bent out of shape. Cause I went out and raped six girl friends..." Just because you say it's a joke, or humor doesn't make it all right.