Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
Thanks for the memories, Ben
June 27th, 2008
I decided to let go of my Benjamin Bratt website. This is a big decision. I’ve maintained the website in one form or another since 1996. In the early years, it was hard to create pages for the site because there was so little published about him. I created a page of “Bratt Stats” that gave all sorts of silly, useless statistics about his movies and shows. I paid some crazy price for an old Playboy just to get a photo of him (the magazine had done a fashion shoot featuring stars of tv shows, including Law & Order). Eventually I created a bulletin board (very simple, not like today’s multiple topic forums) that became quite lively. I was the authority on Benjamin Bratt. I received e-mails from his high school classmates, from reporters who wanted my help, and from people who’d encountered him in real life—the most interesting of which was one of the very first public encounters of Ben with Julia Roberts.
But in the past several years my interest has waned. I no longer rush out to see a Benjamin Bratt movie. In fact, I haven’t even yet seen “Love in the Time of Cholera.” I don’t track his television appearances. And I’ve been very, very bad about updating the blog site with info or pictures. So I decided it was time to turn in the towel.
There were times in the past when I thought about giving the site up, but the thought of someone taking over “my baby” was unbearable. Even though I wasn’t keeping up the site, I didn’t want anyone else messing with it. But now I’m ok. I’m in the process of transferring the domain name benbratt.com, and I’m sure it’s in good hands.
I’ll be sticking around the fandom and visiting the new website. I’m really excited about Ben’s new tv series on A&E, The Cleaner. Although the title of the show is less than stellar, and the premise didn’t thrill me, the show and Benjamin Bratt have gotten some excellent reviews and from the little ads I’ve seen for it, it looks interesting.
Posted in Blogging, Couch Critic | Comments (2)
6 things you probably never wanted to know
June 7th, 2008
Way the frig back in mid-May, Natalie tagged me with a meme and I just now found it. (Well, actually I’d seen it but didn’t do anything, being all consumed with making icons for LiveJournal.) Having been without a computer for a week and not having my graphics loaded on my new computer, I found the tag again. Well, hey, it’s less than one month old. That’s pretty good for a procrastinator like me!
The rules say I’m supposed to tag six other people at the end of the meme, but since I don’t know six people, I may have to skip it. Or, I can always tag some of my LiveJournal friends. (I think I have more than 6 now.) 
The rules:
a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
And since I am not particularly original, I might just follow Natalie’s lead.
- I had never broken a bone until January 7, 2008, when I fell down the stairs at work. The good news I got to take 2 weeks off work. The bad news is I live on the top floor of a walk-up condo. So once I got myself up the stairs, I never went down them (until I saw the doctor 1½ weeks later when he put me in a boot). About 20 years ago I severely sprained my ankle on the same leg, tripping on a stair. I can definitely say that a sprain is indeed more painful than a break.
- I was an officer in the Navy for eight years. I stayed in the Reserves for about 4 more years, but then stopped “drilling.” The Navy eventually discharged me because I hadn’t kept up with my paperwork and training. I’m beginning to think leaving the Navy was the 2nd worst professional mistake I ever made. (The first one being transferring to the organization I currently work for.)
- It only took me 45 years to decide what I want to be when I grow up—a web designer. I even took some classes to become certified (and am certified). But this was in the early 2000’s and web development has changed enormously since then, and I haven’t kept up. Plus, graphic design and creativity is really, really hard for me.
- I suffer from severe depression and a mild mood disorder. The
goodgreat news is that the treatment I’ve received in the last few years has worked wonderfully, and I now feel better than I havein yearsever. - My last 2 cars were bought used. The current one is a 2000 Lexus and the previous one was a 1997 Chrysler Sebring convertible (which I bought in 1999). I’d always wanted a convertible, ever since I was 8 years old, and I finally got my dream. But it turned out I almost never put the top down. The summers were too hot and even with sunglasses, the sun bothered my eyes. I tried to wear hats, but the only ones that would stay on in the breeze were baseball caps.
- I had a heart attack in 2000 and have a stent in one of my major arteries (the LAD, except I can’t remember what it stands for). That’s the first and only time I’ve ever been hospitalized. I had high cholesterol (which I could have controlled with diet, but didn’t) and was going through perimenopause at the time (much too early, in my opinion!). I knew my bad habits would catch up to me eventually. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon. The bad news is my habits still aren’t very good (coping mechanism for #4 above), but the good news is my heart is functioning normally, and I’ve just started to turn my bad eating habits around.
So, that’s me in a nutshell. Ok, it’s a really BIG nutshell.
And, now I shall tag hanncoll, zanne68, jade_kadir, janglyjewels, just_ruth, and the_other_sandy, all from LJ.
Posted in Blogging, General | Comments (2)
Thursday Thirteen #9
February 21st, 2008
I started a blog entry Wed evening (non-T13) but didn’t finish it and saved it to draft. Then I looked at all the draft posts I have and I think I have 13 of the them. So, this week’s T13 is to post the first sentence or two of each draft. I’m going to go in WordPress’ “numerical” order, which is not necessarily chronological order.
Thirteen draft posts I’ve yet to publish
- Even though I did a tv show last week [for T13], I’m going to do another one this week. Not because I’m one-dimensional, but because I’d started this quite awhile ago, and I’m not in the mood think up 13 other things just now.
Geez, and I still haven’t posted it. (BTW, the T13wasis “Thirteen reasons to watch Supernatural.” - I drove into DC yesterday. My niece was in town & we had planned to do lunch together.
This is a wonderful post about a beautiful day. I thought I had published it, but apparently didn’t. I’ve hesitated posting it because it’s outdated, but it’d make a good “memory” post, so look for it soon. - I have a little under one year until I can retire. So, I’ve been thinking about (and looking forward to) life without work.
Another early Thursday 13 post titled “Thirteen places I’d consider retiring to.” Just to show you how old it is, I now have only 63 days before I can retire. - Yet another Thursday 13. There’s no “first sentence” because I haven’t written anything except the list.
- Just like the previously mentioned post, there’s nothing posted except the list of “Thirteen favorite foods.” (#1 is chocolate.)
- I am so bad at wasting precious time playing computer games.
And yet another T13: “Thirteen things I can do besides play computer games.” I’m up to 11 items. - When I was stationed in Italy, my parents came over for a visit and we toured Europe together.
Finally, something other than a T13! It’s another great story worthy of being published. - At yesterday morning’s daily update, the briefer presented some information about the communication satellites we use.
Like list item #2, the post is past it’s prime. But it’ll get posted one day. Maybe when I retire. - The ridiculous to sublime
(Yes, no punctuation.) T13 listing my 13 favorite movies, but I’m only up to 9. - It’s the “template” of the T13 links and paragraph. I copy & paste it into each T13 because I’m too lazy to type it all in every time.
- Good grief! This is the same thing as item #10, except it’s titled “Thursday Thirteen #5.” Looks like I can re-purpose this one.
- As I went to sleep on Monday night I realized I had forgotten to watch “Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Terminator (the original) is one of my favorite movies of all time (to be noted someday on a Thursday Thirteen), so I was anxious to see the series.
Hmmm, I thought I posted this one. Oh, ok. I see this one is different from the one I actually posted, and goes on to talk a little be about The L Word (which I don’t love enough to make it a separate category). - Does anyone know of any software that allows you to post to multiple blogs at one time?
Hey, it’s the post I mentioned at the start of this entry! The one I didn’t finish and then got sidetracked by T13. I’ve come full circle.
So, can anyone answer the question? If not, it’ll become it’s very own post. If I do get an answer, I’ll re-purpose the post.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Thursday 13 | Comments (4)
Friday’s review of Thursday
February 8th, 2008
1. First of all, let’s talk Supernatural, because in my universe there’s nothing more important (and soon, more rare) than a new episode on Thursday night. “Dream a Little Dream of Me” was a great episode, one I definitely need to watch again. And probably again and again. 
And holy-foreshadowing, Nuj! Last week Nuj talked about how hot Dean with demon eyes would be. So I started working on an icon for her. And this week? There he is! Demon-eyed-Dean! Will we start calling him DED? Because we all know Dean is so hawt he killz us ded.
2. While in the cafeteria yesterday for lunch, a man behind me saw my boot and said “Please tell me you received that on your time off and not at work.” I looked around, smiled and said, “Nope. I fell down those stairs right there.” Turns out the guy is the safety manager for the place where I work. He didn’t know about my accident because all my workman’s comp paperwork went through the place where I’m employed, which is not my “place of duty.” (It gets even more complicated than that, but I’ll spare you the gory details.) He was great. He wanted the details and took my name & number. I told him about how I really don’t like that particular stairwell because the steps all blend into one another. He said that’s precisely the type of thing he needs to know about so that he can do something about it. *facepalm*
3. I had a hell of time with Thursday Thirteen yesterday. First of all, about 90% of the participants use Blogspot, which I can’t access at work. (Ok, so I shouldn’t be blogging at work, I know.) And when I tried commenting on WordPress.com blogs, my reply timed out. And a few choice blogs I wanted to comment at had not updated. Guess it just wasn’t my day for T13.
Posted in Blogging, Supernatural, Work | Comments (6)
Thursday Thirteen #8
February 7th, 2008
cute header by Heather
This week’s Thursday 13 is courtesy of The Chatterbox, and it’s just about the best T13 I’ve come across. Evah!
Thirteen answers to Thursday Thirteen questions
- What is your favorite blog?
Lorelle on WordPress. I learn something from her everyday. (Or at least every day I read her. ) - What is your blog?
This is it, Stream of Conscious. Although I do have others (which I’ll mention below). - How long have you been doing Thursday Thirteen?
Officially, about 5 or 6 weeks. I’ve been “counting” them for 8 weeks (obviously). But I see I have a total of 17 Thursday Thirteen entries. However, the first ones were in no way consistent. - Do you comment on a lot of Thursday Thirteens, or just a couple?
I’m actually trying to up my comment quota every week. Right now it’s just a few. - Do you participate in Thursday Thirteen every week or just when you think of it?
I’ve been doing it every week for the past few weeks, and that’s my goal. - Does it take you a long time to come up with ideas for your blog?
Do you mean the blog itself or the T13? My biggest problem with the blog is that I’ll write something, but then not publish it. Then it becomes outdated. As for T13 topics, I’ll often think of things during the week. (I actually have about 3 or 4 T13 posts in draft form.) If I don’t come up with an idea, I steal one from Natalie. - How many blogs do you run?
I’m running my Benjamin Bratt fansite as a blog right now, and I recently created one to help me track my progress fixing up my home. I had one where I posted my efforts at trying to learn the inner workings of WordPress, but in cleaning up my web space, I deleted it. I started another one, but haven’t posted anything yet, so I’m not sure that counts. Oh! And I had a blog at LiveJournal. I started that one so that I could commune with all the other Supernatural fans. Just this week, though, I let the blog go. But I still have my account, so that I can easily reply and keep up with people I like & communities I’m interested in. - Is blogging a hobby or a business for you?
Right now it’s a hobby, but I want to look into advertising for a couple of my blogs and websites. - How much do you work on your blog(s)?
Not as much as I should! - What other memes do you enjoy?
Um, what is a meme exactly? - Do you participate in blog carnivals?
I haven’t yet, but it’s something I’m thinking about. Maybe even running one. But first I have to figure out how they work. - How long have you been blogging?
My blog goes back to Septemer 2006, but I actually started blogging before that. I think I started the blog 3 or 4 times, but deleted them because they weren’t “perfect.” - Anything else you care to share?
I really regret deleting my prior blog attempts. There were some very good, soulful posts that I’ll never be able to recreate. But at least I learned to just jump in and not try to figure out what I want the end-state to be. After all, it’s the journey, not the destination, right?
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Thursday 13 | Comments (5)
Thursday Thirteen #7
January 31st, 2008
Thirteen places I’d like to visit (or revisit)
In no particular order:
- London, England (or is “UK” more politically correct?)—one of my 2 favorite cities in the world.
- Florence, Italy—the other of my 2 favorite cities in the world, with the added attraction of Italian food.
- San Francisco, CA—the place I always wished I was from.
- Seattle, WA—My dad was based out of Seattle during WWII and my mom said she begged him to settle there after the war. But for Dad there was no place like Iowa.
- Newport, RI—I was stationed there for 4 years and my memories are great.
- Machu Picchu, Peru—preferably before I’m too old to hike the Inca Trail.
- Hawaii—I’ve never been and I’d like to walk the same streets as Magnum PI and “Dan-o.”
- Venice, Italy—yeah, they say it’s dirty, but c’mon, it’s still Venice, and still one of a kind.
- Amsterdam—another city of canals. And beautiful jewelry. And a renowned red-light district.
- Rio de Janeiro—or some other South American city.
- Belize—I’ve wanted to visit ever since I watched “After the Storm” with Benjamin Bratt. It was filmed in Belize and it was absolutely gorgeous.
- Antarctica—I always wanted to be stationed there when I was in the Navy. And now they have cruises to the place. If the ship doesn’t sink.
- French Riviera—because it’s French; and the Riviera.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Thursday 13 | Comments (2)
Thursday Thirteen #6
January 24th, 2008
Thirteen things I need to do to get my home ready to sell
- Declutter the kitchen, getting rid of old pots and pans, cleaning out the pantry, organizing my “plasticware” so that it doesn’t fall out every time I open the cupboard door. This was supposed to be done in January 2008, but the schedule has been delayed about one month. (I broke my foot.)
- Clean off the dining room table, sort through the bookcase, hutch and surrounding areas.
- Declutter the master bedroom. (This does not include the master closet, which is so massive, it received its own number on the list.
- Declutter the “den” (put in quotes because it’s actually the second bedroom). It’s the room I use for my computer and filing. Besides picking up and sorting through the room, I have a ton of papers I need to file (mostly medical info and investment reports, both of which I seem to get once or twice a week).
- The “guest” bedroom. Right now it’s a storage room, full of kitty hiding spots. It’s horrid!
- The entry and hallway. Again, not including the entry closet as it has its own number. But I might be able to swing it in here, depending on the progress I make.
- Declutter the living room. This includes getting rid of at least one of the two televisions. And organizing those pesky DVDs and (*gasp*) video tapes.
- Organize the master bath. This shouldn’t be too hard, mostly throwing out the old cosmetics and stuff.
- Declutter the guest bath. Again, this shouldn’t be too hard. Maybe I can do both of them in just one month.
- Clean out the master closet. See, it has its own number. And it needs it!
- Clean out the entry closet. But now that I think about it, I should be able to clean it out when I clean up the entry way.
- Clean out the linen closet. I want to pare down to just two or three sets of sheets and towels.
- Clean out the closet in the “den.” This has lots of old photos, old clothes, and probably several other things I’ve forgotten. Oh, and it’ll probably include a few items from cleaning up the den room (see #4).
Once I finish sorting through the house (I have a few more places to go), I hope to do the decorating and remodeling.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Pack brat, Thursday 13 | Comments (5)
Thursday Thirteen #5
January 17th, 2008
This week’s Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by someone who has no idea what to write about.
Thirteen Random Thoughts
- I’m an official Thursday Thirteener! Woot!
- Showtime’s movies sucks.
- Dexter really is as entertaining as they say. Who’d have thought I’d enjoy a show where the hero is a serial killer?
- The L Word (the reason I switched from HBO to Showtime) is okay. But sometimes I feel it needs to decide whether it’s a drama or a comedy.
- I think I’m going have a Jonathan Rhys Meyers overdose (and not in a good way). He’s everywhere!
- I really liked the one episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles I saw. (I missed the premiere.) I loved the original movie (you know, the one where the governor of California played the bad guy). The main characters and actors are quite compelling.
- Who knew the future leader of the world has emo-bangs. (And if you don’t know what emo-bangs are, you need to watch Supernatural.)
- Supernatural is still the best tv show you’re not watching.
- The real, original Grimm’s Fairy Tales are incredibly gruesome.
- Last year I liked this blog layout a lot. This year, not so much. (ETA: I have now changed the layout. This is one I still like and keep coming back to.)
- I can now personally verify that sprains are more painful than breaks.
- Peapod by Giant is wonderful, even if they do get several things on the order wrong.
- My keyboard is giving me fits. Probably caused by all the crumbs and spilled liquids it’s had to endure.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! | View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Posted in Couch Critic, Musings, Thursday 13 | Comments (3)
Thursday Thirteen #4
January 3rd, 2008
Yes, Thursday Thirteen has been resurrected, thanks to pussreboots. So we rebegin with:
Thirteen things I’d like to accomplish in 2008
(What, you were expecting something different?)
- Clear off the dining room table, so I can actually dine on it.
- Clean and declutter the kitchen.
- Join this singing group.
- Find an internal medicine doctor I like.
- Create my own WordPress blog theme (design).
- Read Lorelle on WordPress more consistently.
- Start posting Google ads on my Benjamin Bratt website.
- Finish and post all of my essays.
- Eat out with a friend or two once a month.
- Start a LiveJournal community.
- Knit some bulky ski caps and long red scarves for friends and family. (Next year I might even try the fingerless gloves.)
- Put five Jensen Ackles into my savings account each month. Well, that’s what this automated New Year’s Resolution gizmo said. And I’m not going to argue with this one!
- Participate in Thursday Thirteen consistently.
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Posted in Thursday 13 | Comments (2)
R.I.P Thursday Thirteen
December 21st, 2007
Last week I decided to get serious about this Thursday Thirteen stuff. I went to the official website and looked into the requirements for participating. Turns out you have to use the code they provide. I tried the code, and it looked horrible! So, in the interest of trying to keep the blog from looking too messy, I’ve decided to forgo this particular blogging community. Hopefully I’ll find another one at some point. I really do need to network more.
And, once again I’m wrestling with how to organize my blogs. I guess nothing will ever be perfect, and I’ll most likely always think of some way to do it better.
Posted in Blogging, Thursday 13 | Comments (2)