Gotta love it…

…but I love what you can learn from website analytical and statistical information.

You not only get the basics like pageviews, but you get the down and dirty specifics….the keywords, the when, the where, the IP addresses, if they’re logged in from work, how long they were on each page, the how someone found your site, the last page they were on before they visited your site, the page they left your site to go to, as well as what’s been copied, cut or downloaded.  We’re talking full disclosure here.

And if you’re a numbers or data geek (I’m so not either), then it can offer up a lot of personal information. Before long, you can’t help but see the patterns.  And well, if you know anything about websites, servers, hosts and the whole package, you could actually track a person down if you wanted.

When you come down to it, no matter how hard you might work at creating that false sense of anonymity, a witty user name, putting everything behind some sort of private access wall, shortening URLs (the whole point of those services is to make the link trackable as well as shorter), or well, just trying to stay anonymous…you just can’t do it.

It always amazes me to think how much time, energy and effort people can put into their false sense of anonymity and the security they think they have.  Many people don’t seem to realize, that unless they’re a hacker and can bounce their IP around from server to server, they can’t remain anonymous.  It can’t happen.

Which of course is why I always suggest that my clients use a good analytical/statistical program.  Quite often, it can give you a glimpse into what your customers are searching for, where they found you and where they are located.  This is very usefull information when you’re in business.  And you never know when you might have to turn some of that personal info over to lawyers for whatever reason (we’ve had to do this a few times already for various sites).  Much like insurance, it’s part of the price of doing business.

How often do you check your stats?  Or do you check them at all?  What’s your favorite feature?

Four years ago this week and next week, we launched the ConstantChatter community.  Let me just say…wow, it’s been a long four years!

I never knew what work would be ahead of me when I agreed to this little project.  This time four years ago, I was pulling my hair out, not getting my homework completed, sitting in front of a computer for 16-hour+ days dealing with the site, the server, the community, the emails, the requests, the demands, etc.  When we started, I can’t say that I ever expected the membership to exceed 200 people give or take.  It all came about totally a case of being at the right time at the right place.

I don’t say it often enough, but I’m quite proud of the site and the community.  I know it’s been a resource to many and that’s what matters.  It also taught me so much…you know, that whole If I knew then what I know now sort of thing. Would I have done things differently?  Oh hell yes!  Many things differently.  But like I said, the whole experience of creating a community and blogsite has taught me tons, so I don’t lose sleep thinking about what could have been.

To be honest though, I’m not even a part of the site any more and only pop on when I’m needed or need to dig up a recipe. I’ve got some great people that help out to make sure it all runs smoothly (and I can’t tell them enough how much I appreciate them).

You hear all the time about entrepreneurs that start one business, get it up and running and then sell it off to move on to the next project.  I never used to get how someone could pour their heart and soul into the whole business only to sell it off and walk away a few years later.

But now I get it.  The challenge, the fun, it’s all in the creation.  Once things are running smoothly, your attention pulls you towards the next project.  And boy am I looking forward to that next project!  And yes, there is a project in the works already.

So thank you to everyone that supported me and helped ConstantChatter become the community that it is – past and present, friend or foe.

Tonight the hubs is heading off to somewhere in the Inland Empire to connect with his youth.  He’s heading out to see the reunion show of the band he used to roadie for back in his long-haired, late 80’s.  As much as I’d love to meet the guys that played such an important part in his life, I’m still a bit under the weather to be up for a long and loud night (with music I most likely won’t enjoy…shhh!).  He’s heading out with one of his oldest friends instead.

In the meantime, I thought it would the perfect night to attend to some beauty rituals…touching up my roots; scrubbing for the self-tanner; hanging out touching nothing while wearing self-tanner; and trying out a new face mask (I love facials, but rarely get around to applying masks at home).  It should be a fun night.

If only I had something appropriately chickie to watch.  Or a good, non-business, chick-littie book to read *sigh*  No worries, I can watch Clueless, Valley Girl, the Sweetest Thing or Pracitical Magic…again!  They never get old.  They might get dated, but not old.  Classics I tell ya!

Now I’m craving fruity cocktails and decadent desserts…uh oh!

So what do you usually do when your signifigant other leaves you home alone for the night (sick or not)?

A fun movie based on good chicklit!

I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but the Lifetime Movie Network has been going through some changes. And I’m lovin’ it!

No more woman scorned, woman suffers, woman barely survives movies here. They’ve taken to making movies based on the best selling chicklit books.

I shouldn’t be too surprised. I remember a year a so a favorite author of mine, Liza Palmer, mentioned that she was talking to the Lifetime folks. I remember at the time thinking what an odd match. Her books were fun, Lifetime movies were depressing.

Not any more. If you haven’t had the chance, be sure to check out Killer Hair (on repeats now) and Hostile Makeover (starting this Sunday). The two movies are based on the books by Ellen Byerrum. Now I can’t say that I’ve ever read Ms. Byerrum’s books, but the movies sure were fun.

I don’t know if this is a summer only sort of thing, but either way, I’m loving it. So I have to say, next to my guilty pleasure reading fun chicklit books, I now have the added guilty pleasure of watching fun, chicklit-like movies. Woohoo!

‘Nuff said.

I’m on a quest.  Much like I was looking for the best drugstore mascara not all too long ago (found it…Maybelline Stiletto).  This time around, I’m looking for the perfect all over eyeshadow.  You know, that one shadow that you can wear daily that doesn’t necessarily look like you’re wearing shadow, but just kind of makes you look put togther.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve just used the same blush that I was wearing as my all over color.  Then I started to add a highlighter to my browbone.  Now that I’m working again (and networking and doing speaking gigs), I feel the need to look a bit more polished day to day.

I have two MAC colors that I picked up, but I’m not completley happy with either.  The one is goldish and well, has a bit of sparkle.  The other is pink and matte, but I think it’s just a tad too dark.

So I’m wondering, if you wear shadow and just use that one, all over kind of color, what do you use?  It can be drugstore or department store (since the shelf-life is so much longer than mascara I’m okay spending a bit more).  What works for you?

Oh, me.

Yeah, I guess that could be true.  I have been known to trip over my own two feet.  It seems I can’t go for a walk in the neighborhood without stumbling or tripping over something – usually uneven sidewalks, unseen curbs (don’t ask) or sprinkler heads. It’s gotten to the point that my husband just keeps walking figuring if I’m really hurt, I’ll let him know.

And yes, once I was really hurt and ended up in the ER late that night (but left because the wait was too insanely crazy long).  My doctor actually asked me if I felt “safe” at home (embarassingly more than once) considering I seem to have so many klutzy, clumsy injuries (and yes, she knows my husband well).

One time, back when I was a teacher, I was going to try my hand at roller blading.  Now you’d think that what I’m about to share would be an injury directly related to actually roller blading.

You’d think.

Um no…I wanted to safely (ha!) step down the curb, so I momentarily stepped into the pine straw so I wouldn’t be able to roll.  And yes, I’m sure you guessed it…I managed to immediately go down twisting my leg something fierce on the way down. I had to go to school with my leg in a temporary cast thingie and walk with crutches for a couple of days.  So not cool. And of course I’m too honest to come up with a great story instead of the truth.

Don’t even get me started on the time I fell off a tree stump and managed to break my elbow mere days after moving across the country.  Let’s just say that I  have stories a’plenty about my (seemingly) clumsy experiences doing everyday, normal things.

Not that I’m any safer inside the house mind you.  We’re talking about someone that seems to be more than capable to walk into doorways, trip over the coffee table and well, slice my fingers just as neatly as I slice my vegetables.  My mama would be so proud

So the other night I figured I’d sit down and start to work on my toes and do a little DIY pedicure.  I get out the clippers to trim and hmmm…seems one of my toenails is a little ripped.  I proceed to take off the polish only to realize that I’ve somehow, through one of my (seemingly many and far too frequent) stumbles, managed to rip nearly half the toenail completely off from the bed.  You’d think that something this extreme would have to to have hurt, right?

You’d certainly think it would.  Only I can’t remember any recent bumps or stumbles of any significance outside of stubbing my foot on our bookshelf about a week ago.  Nothing more than an “ow! dammit!” though.  Nothing worthy of ripping off half my toenail.

So now I must figure out how to polish a half-there toenail (a barely there, light pink maybe – not too fun for summer if you ask me!) and still treat myself to the occasional pedicure from time to time.  I wonder just how long it will take for the damn thing to grow back – research says about 9 or so months.  Fun.

Are you considered klutzy by those who know and love you?  What’s your most recent or humbling injury?

Photo by TheSullys

It seems so wrong to even be posting this, but for those of you that know me (especially those lurkers from my past that still follow along for whatever reason) have heard some of my stories about the evil grumpy, angry, old lady that lived next door.  Our first couple years here she made our lives (and those of her family) an absolute hell on Earth.

She’d bang on the wall in the middle of the night with a 2×4, waking us out of a dead sleep telling her family (our landlords) that we woke her up.  Once late at night while my husband was working, she pushed aside the tree branches blocking our window to yell at him in Spanish (she didn’t speak English), wound up falling down her porch getting a mild concussion, only to tell the doctor that my husband did it.  She refused to eat for about three weeks the ONE time our landlords went on vacation (in like 25 years!).  She was NOT a happy woman, to say the least.  And trust me, there are so, so many more stories I could tell – and many more that I’m sure I have told.

Well, she finally (at 97) passed away and today was her funeral.  Lucky for her and especially for her family, it was quick.

I can’t help but be happy for my landlords though.  They’ve been through so much caring for this women.  She made their lives miserable and they pretty much put everything on hold for twenty or so years.  It’s not like you could to them that it’s a good thing the old lady died.

Or so I thought.

I just saw my landlord and his daughter while I was bringing in the laundry from the car.  He was all smiles as he said “it’s finally over.”  She was telling me how she told the priest how happy she is that she and her parents can all live again.  So thankfully, even though death is sad and my landlord lost her mother, knowing that the family can finally move on is wonderful news. And knowing that at least two out of the three people that I know who were really put out by this cranky women are happy, makes me happy (not to mention, we’ll no longer be accused of making noise we never made in the first place!!)

I wonder where their first vacation will be!

Enter for Your Chance to Win an Envirosax Bag!

The good folks from Envirosax contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in doing a giveaway here.  I’m all about using reusable bags for shopping that you better believe I jumped at the opportunity.

The goal was to get it up about a week ago and tell you all how great these bags would be for the dad in your life.  But as you all know, I’ve been so busy that I just didn’t get around to it.  I was also waiting for the bags to arrive so I could see just which designs I was giving away.

I don’t yet have my own Envirosax bag (well, when you have 10+ large canvas sacks, there’s just no need to buy the bags), so this was my first time seeing them in person.  Wow, not only are the bags HUGE, the designs are just way cute.  So as they say on their site, you can spread “the eco-friendly message with style!”  And the convenient part is that they fold up nicely so that you can keep one in your bag – no more forgetting your bag back at the car.

I think my only complaint about the bags is that I’d love for a longer handle.  These bags can hold SO much stuff, that it can often make carrying the bags difficult.  With a longer strap that can go over your shoulder you can not only carry more weight, but you can also have your hands free to do the important stuff like unlock the door.  For many, I’m sure the handles are just fine (and can indeed slip over the shoulder), I’ve just gotten so used to my canvas bags with their long straps, that I like when my bags sit lower on my body and not right under my armpit.

Eh, it’s all preference and these bags are so cute (and fold up so tiny), that it more than makes up for it.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook as well, as they’ve been known to host more giveaways there.

To enter for your chance to win one of these two bags, just leave me a comment telling me why you’d love to win one or where you would use your bag.  The winner will be chosen at random through Random.org.

Fell free to tweet, blog or post this on your Facebook for extra chances to win – just make sure you give me the link so I can verify the posts.

The contest will close on Sunday, June 21st at 11:59 PM (Pacific)

Good luck!!