Category Archives: life

BlogHer Conference Anyone?

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Is anyone planning to go to the BlogHer Conference this July?  It’s in San Francisco, so I kind of feel that I should go.  I was about a week off last year for the Chicago one – not that I signed up or anything, I just happened to be at the same hotel as some of the BlogHer gals.  Reading all the blogs though, it sounded like they all had so much fun.

I did the SXSWi BlogHer dinner last year and well, I was a little disappointed.  While I get that so many bloggers know so many other bloggers, it still felt like I was on the outside of some cool clique looking in.  Thing is, I’ll talk to anyone about anything.  So for me to say something about that crowd (or at least that part of the crowd that I met), that’s really kind of saying something.

Because of that outsider feel, I really don’t want to go to BlogHer by myself.  But this years theme of “Reach!” sounds right up my alley since my main focus and goal this year is to increase my site’s blog presence.  Here’s what they have to say about it…

Our 2008 conference focuses on a central theme: Reach! As BlogHers, you’re commanding an ever-growing online presence, but what is the true extent of your reach (and your message)? Is your reach something you need better defined, or something you’re looking to expand exponentially? If you believed that your blog could do anything, what would you reach for?

So is anyone considering going?  Has anyone gone in the past?  Has anyone hooked up with a roommate through the event coordinators?  So many questions I know, but pre-registration is nearly over and they pretty much expect to be sold-out shortly after pre-reg.

Yup, Still Sick (or so it would seem)

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I just finished my 10-day round of antibiotics and well, my sinuses are SO much better, but dammit if I’m not still sick. With something different, at that. I’ve been craving a latte for nearly 2 weeks now – since first getting sick. I caved last night and finally drank one. Of course, I woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling all floaty-headed (surely it can’t be the latte, I know that much). I’ve got an appointment in a bit with my doctor.

In other news, I feel crazy busy. Mind you, that’s crazy busy in a good way. I’m still following up with ladies about the blogging workshop I did on Monday all while getting ready for my next workshop next Wednesday. The cool news, just from Monday’s workshop alone I’ve been invite to lead another workshop in Orange County and another in Santa Barbara. This is awesome!! I’m telling you, Ladies Who Launch is an awesome organization.

Also, have any of you ever purchased an ebook – downloadable, PDF book? I’ve got a couple ideas that are running around in my head and I’m considering using the ebook platform. If you have purchased one, can I ask what the topic might have been? The price? The length of the book? Did you feel it was worth the money spent? Just wondering and trying to gather as much information as possible right now.

Before I sign off…remember that there’s still time to join the Ultimate Blogging Party on the 7th – 14th. Just click on the pretty pink banner there to the right for more information. Hope to be partying with you next week! 😉

My Rant on Celery & Messy Desks

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I don’t like celery.  No wait, that’s not entirely true.  I like raw celery and I like raw celery in my tuna or chicken salads.  I just don’t like it cooked.

If cooked celery turns mushy and gross when cooked, then why do we always put it in soups?  You see, I love soup.  I don’t love celery.  If you’re going to put celery in soup, can’t you at least leave it chunky enough so that I can avoid it?

The only thing worse than celery in soup…okra in soup.  Talk about slimy and gross!   Really, it totally throws off the consistency, so why do it?

Onto other things that annoy  me…why is it that I can clear off my desk, but a mere two days later it’s piled over with crap?  I mean there’s rarely even a bit of flat enough surface available for my mug of tea.  How is that even possible?!?  More to the point, how can I stop it from happening over and over?

And speaking of messy desks…what the hell am I supposed to do with this ginormous stack of mail that needs to be shredded, but is just too much for my little home office shredder to handle?  Times like this I wish we had a fire place.  I mean this stack really seems to be hindering my productivity while at my desk (if you ignore the additional stacks ‘o mess I mentioned above).

What is a girl and her messy desk to do?  Any suggestions from you work at home gals out there?  How do you keep it all under control?

On the Mend

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Man, what a boring ass week this has been in my blog.  This sinus infection, coughing illness thingie seems to be kicking my fat ass!  But, thanks to the joys of modern medicine, I know that I’m getting better.  And I have proof…let’s just say that “things” are “leaving” and “colors are changing” and leave it at that.  The medicine induced headache is gone as well!  And I slept through the entire night – first time in a week!  So yeah, I’m definitely on the mend.

Want to read a cool article about the business of giving things away for free?  Check out wired.com.  Very cool and somewhat fascinating stuff.

Anyone else thrilled that Dirt is back on Sunday?  What about those Hills spoilers?  Believe it or not, our DVR is running on empty these days.

So how about a good book?  Sophie Kinsella’s new book, Remember Me is here (there’s a first chapter excerpt on her site) and nary a Becky Bloomwood in sight!  And speaking of our favorite Shopaholic…Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy and Krysten Ritter star.

Do You Ever Feel a Little Overwhelmed

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These past couple of weeks happens to be one of those times when I just feel a tad overwhelmed – but right now, it’s in a bit of a good way.  The week leading up to GA left me working @ Herbie’s every day with a lot of running around after work and no time for cleaning.  The week in GA, again, a lot of running around, phone calls and paperwork.  This week, well, I’ve been too sick to do much of anything.  I’m finally feeling better – sinuses are great, cough is still annoying and painful so I called the doc to ask for a ‘script.

Here it is Thursday and well, all I’ve been able to do so far is a lot of email/biz contacting and um, the laundry yesterday.  I have book club this Sunday (bright and early for this gal!) and I have to figure out a way to make the house at least presentable.  The hubs worked fro home all last week so things are a mess and there’s clutter just everywhere you turn.  Heck, I still have Christmas stuff to put away (don’t ask), but at least I finally picked up the storage box at Target yesterday.  So much for hanging my new curtains in the kitchen.  I have a feeling I’ll be spending Saturday shoving everything in the office (with the hubs) for book club.

I also still have an interview to edit, our bookkeeping to finish (that should take less than 30 minutes to do if I’d only sit down and well, DO IT!), some blog stuff to edit, another interview to set up, blah, blah, blah.  I also need to look into leading some non-LWL paying workshops.

Oh yeah, and I have to outline my presentation for Monday and create worksheets still.  And then do it all over again, this time on SEO for my workshop on the 12th.  And in between, I have to come up with a services and price sheet so I can have it ready when someone asks after the workshop.

Then we can toss in dinner with the hubster’s family on Saturday.  Oh yeah, and I still have shop for bookclub food.  Mind you, since our freezer died, we only have the food I bought for the hub before I left.  Yeah, no time for shopping yet.  Luckily, I’m doing a berry mixture, yogurt and granola – guess I’ll just pick that up at the farmer’s market instead of making it (and a mess) myself.

Wish me luck, I’m off to pick up some cough medicine and figure out what, specifically I should be focusing on today.

Huh?

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I just received a bill for $1250 from my doctor’s office. For 2006!!! Yes, it was a batch of bills that was 2 years late. Odd thing, it didn’t show any insurance payments. So I did what anyone would do and called to question it.

First, the billing lady was nothing but attitude and well, that’s just rude. It’s not like I’m trying to skip out on a bill. This is the first that I’d even heard of it. Second, she tells me that the insurance company denied it because of my “student status”. Huh? I haven’t been a student since ’02 and even then, it was grad school as an adult, not a dependent. She proceeds to tell me that I need to settle things with my insurance company or pay up – again, nothing but attitude.

So of course, I called my insurance company (luckily, they hadn’t yet closed for the day). I explain to them the situation, they double check the claim dates and tell me that each claim was denied because the last name was missing. Huh? I think what might have happened, is that they have my (at least back in ’06) as having a hyphenated name. Whereas my hubs listed me on his insurance using only my married name. Needless to say, billing lady was still a bitch and insurance folks were very helpful.

On a related note…I finally broke down and bough a sinus rinsing thingie (not a neti pot, but a squeeze bottle contraption). I figured I was beginning to have far too many sinus infections for my tastes. Then there was the fact that I seemed to have a continual post-nasal thing going on (I’m big on the TMI today – sorry). Let me just say, it’s not the most uncomfortable thing and I’m sure it will get easier as I get used to it – but man, not what I expected. It’s not nearly as shocking as pool water up the nose (that just burns), but still odd. That said, I do feel a bit better already. Now if I could manage to get rid of my sickie-head, dazed feeling I’ll be doing much better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update from the billing lady:  turns out the person she spoke to said my claims were denied because they didn’t have a gender down for me.  Huh?  A pelvic examine and basic female-bloodwork was denied!!!  Meanwhile the folks I spoke with at the insurance company said again, that it was denied because the last name was missing/incorrect (he even pulled up an image to verify what was given).   Whatever.

Being Sick Sucks

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There’s no other way to say it.  I don’t know how I ever did it when I held down a 9-5 job, or even crazier, when I was a teacher and my kids regularly got me sick.

I broke down and went to the doctor yesterday.  Mostly because my teeth hurt.  Yes, I said my teeth.  Turns out (surprise, surprise) whatever I caught seems to have mutated into a sinus infection.  The sinus pressure was so bad that even my teeth were hurting.  So much so that I wasn’t even able to sleep the previous night.

Lucky for me, my doctor is absolutely awesome.  She got me right in and gave me the wonder drugs.  So now, merely one day after taking my meds and I already feel better.  Better still, the horrible sinus pressure and aching teeth have ceased.  So now I’m just dealing with explosive sneezes (the kind that make you pee and hurt your throat – TMI, sorry) and that nasty cough.

The plus side…I get tons of soup!!  We first went to Jerry’s on Saturday for the official Jewish Penicillin – man that place is crazy expensive!  Then I moved on to chicken tortilla at Islands (the best!).  Had won ton soup with hot mustard from Frontier Wok on Sunday to help clear sinuses (it didn’t work).  Then yesterday I made my own pot of (kick ass – if I do say so myself) chicken noodle.  We’ll probably have some leftovers tonight since I still don’t feel like cooking anything else.

Okay, no one really wants to read about the trials and tribulations of someone’s illness so instead I’ll talk about something totally cool…when I went to visit my dad, I made sure I brought some of the important family documents home with me. So I now have, in my grubby little, germy hands,  my great-grandmother’s birth certificate (in Latin), her baptism certificate (in Hungarian), and her Ellis Island paperwork, along with other too cool for school family documents.  I think it’s so fascinating to see how the spelling of the family names changes from document to document.  If only our scanner would upgrade to leopard compatibility already I’d show you just how cool it is.

And finally, tomorrow, I’ll be able to participate in my first Wordless Wednesday in God only knows how long.  I’m so excited by this, you have no idea.  It’s the simple things I tell ya.