Dakota

Having a pet is nothing new. Most people in the country, no the world have one of some sort. One of the interesting things about the subject is most definitely the wide range of species that people keep as a pet. This however is not about the vast diversity of animals kept in confinement. This is rather about a simple brand of pet and one that most of the people around  the globe are fairly familiar with. The dog.

Most of us have a dog growing up and if not you will not end up worse for wear. While it is certainly a privilege to have one you are not lost if you do not. I was lucky enough to have two dogs growing up. This was a joy that when I became a parent that I wanted to give to my children. Almost as much for myself as for them. As an adult I missed what having a dog brings. It wasn't until I was married more than 16 years and my oldest of three children was also 16 that we finally brought a dog into the family.

For a very small percentage of dog owners the animal is not seen as a part of the family. While that small minority does not include the dog in the family photo their are millions more that do. The dog as a pet quickly works its way into the hearts of even the strongest of wills. I was not that difficult to win over. When the dog came into the family I was ready and willing to welcome a new friend. What I did not expect was for the dog to become such a big part of my life.

There was no fight for this Boxer

We have a friend that my wife and I have known since high school. She has always been a big animal lover and recently has taken on the responsibility of trying to find homes for dogs (and cats) who have nowhere to go. It is a very admirable calling and one that she seems born to do. A couple years ago she came across a Boxer puppy that was taken from a breeding program a couple of states away that was nowhere close to being "up to code". This puppy was the runt of the litter and as such had not been sold in time for the breeder to make a profit. The dog was destined for the "long sleep".

A friend of our friend ended up taking the dog from the breeder in an effort to keep it alive. She then turned to our animal loving friend in the hopes of finding a home. She posted a fuzzy picture of Facebook at the same time that my wife and I were considering the possibility of having a dog. It was difficult to really see the dog in the picture but during an impulsive moment I told her we would take it before really discussing it with my wife. I had hoped that once she saw the dog that would be the end of the discussion.

Original FB photo of Dakota

As it turned out we had to drive four hours away to meet the rescuer of the dog halfway between their home and mine. So I told my wife I was going to pick the dog up and left before she could stop me. Although, I suspect she had already made up her mind not to. It was the last day of school for my kids and they were mostly outside with friends enjoying it. So this whole endeavor was largely a surprise to everyone except my wife and my youngest daughter.

By the time our friend and I ended up at the designated meeting spot I was fairly nervous. Then I saw the guy walking down the little hill holding a blanket in his arms with a little furry head peaking out. As soon as I got to within three feet of him and his cargo I reached out my arms and fell in love. He placed the bundle into my outstretched arms and I quickly embraced the warm blanket that held the little puppy. I looked down into the blanket and saw the cutest little dog that I have every seen. I know, all puppies are cute and I will not argue that fact. However, at that moment, looking into the eyes of this little Boxer puppy, I don't think I could have been persuaded that anything else in the world was cuter.

By the time I had arrived home with our new friend my wife had the kids waiting for the new arrival.  Of course the kids were excited and so was the puppy. The girls had decided to name the dog Dakota and no one had an argument against the name so it stuck. It did not take long for the dog to become part of the family. One thing that surely helped was the dog's breed. For people who are not familiar with the Boxer they are one of the best family dogs there are. And for a family full of people who love to cuddle, this dog was the perfect fit!

Dakota at about 5 months old.

The Breed and the Family

I'm not going to give you a history lesson on the Boxer. I don't think I would keep your attention if I did, plus Google does a fine job of giving people a place to find out about various subject better than I can. Never the less, the Boxer is a dog that has a long history of being a hunter/family dog. Back in the day when dogs were more than just a pet, Boxers were a great choice for people who had to hunt for their livelihood. Not only were they great additions to the hunting party, helping to bring down big game, but they were also great at home. Hunters would feel safe knowing that the dog that just hours ago helped to bring down an animal 5 times its size was also protecting the kids.

Boxers were and still are known for having a deep affection for the family they live with. They love to cuddle close and will protect the people in their family/pack with their life. So when the hunter would return from the hunt the dog would be happy to be home with the kids. The dog would play, cuddle, and rest with the family. But if something would threaten that  family the Boxer would go into fighter mode and keep danger far away. There are few breeds that could balance that fierce fighting spirit with love and affection and do it so well. In addition they are very agile, strong, and intelligent dogs. They almost have all of the traits that one would want in a pet and companion.

It is all of these traits that made me fall in love with the dog so quickly. Dakota rarely misses an opportunity to snuggle up close or to lay on my lap. She seeks out every opportunity to sit with one of the family and I have yet to see her want to go to a corner of the house to be alone. She does everything she can to stay by us and you can see  the love. At the same time I could see how she could be a fierce protector as well. There are times when my son and I will wrestle around (as Dad's and sons are known to do) and I'm not sure that Dakota knows we are playing. Whenever she sees my son grab or push me she will run up to him barking and push him away. Even though she seems to want to protect me, she does not try to hurt my son. She pushes with her paws and her mouth and never bites.

In the almost three years that she has been with us she has not once harmed anyone. Aside from the accidental scratches from her nails when she plays, or running into someone while rushing around she has been a great dog. There have been multiple times that she has cheered me or someone else up by simply looking at one you. I would have never guessed that a dog that could look so mean and tough would be the biggest softy. There are certain things that people expect when they get a dog. Things such as barking, making messes, or destroying household items. With Dakota we do get the occasional loaf of bread in pieces on the floor but over all she has been very clean. Was house-trained within a few days and even though she loves human food she waits patiently for it to be given to her before she would just take it.

Dakota has brought a lot of love and joy into our household. My family all pick on me for the amount of affection I show her but I cannot help myself. I look into those huge brown eyes and I fall to pieces. She stares at me and then turns her head to the side, puts one of her huge paws on my knee, then turns her head the other way and I give in. She could get almost anything that she wants from me because I just cannot tell that dog no. Every time I look at her I see that little puppy who we brought home a couple  years ago. I see that face that just says it all. I remember the times she has laid next to me, looked up into my eyes and then licks my chin. I love my dog.

Slight Website Re-Structure

Tonight I removed a couple pages from the site. There was a page that loaded up a secondary website that I had setup to display the various other 'services' that I offered.

As of right now I basically offer these 'services' only through the websites that I do the work for. The 'services' that I am referring to is providing written content for various clients as well as guest and ghost posting on blogs. I do have plans to restructure the secondary website but I do not know when it will be up and live as a connection to this site. Possibly after Christmas.

In the meantime, if you find yourself in need of some writing or you have a research project that you need help with just email me. I am still offering the services that I had listed on that website, the only difference now is that I will have to find another way to market it. Over the next day or so I will put together a page that lists the services. It will service as a replacement until the new site is finished.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Tony

A Yucky Ducky? A posting of an original commentary by Tony Pronenko

I posted this article on a site called BubbleNews as well. BubbleNews is a site that gives writers a forum for posting articles and poems and other works with no restrictions. Even though it is posted there I wanted to have it posted on DBD as well because this is like my Home Base. 

A Yucky Ducky?

There is no doubt in my mind that there are probably a million other commentaries on the remarks made by Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson. Usually I try my best to stay away from mainstream articles or commentary that has already collected the opinions of the general public at large. However, there is something about the comments, the timing, and the response that has pulled me in. So on that note, I will attempt to levy my opinion on this topic in the hopes that at least one person might agree. Then again, sometimes I write just to hear myself think. Picture that!

Anyone who knows me knows that I take to heart the general ideals that caused a handful of people to raise an army to fight for independence. In their victory they established a more perfect union, in principal anyway. They had the best of intentions and they did everything that anyone could have. The problem lies in the fact that the people that fell within that bubble of righteousness were human. As humans often do they eventually adapted. They grew and changed and along with them were those ideals that they all rested on. It became clear very early on that the ideals the country was founded on were no longer a good fit for the people that were now inhabiting the land. Even 20 years after the revolution major adaptations and addendum's were added to the constitution to allow the ideals to fit the people.

There are plenty others but one of the ideals that remained mostly unchanged through the years has been freedom of speech. To give a person the right to express their opinions openly without the fear of reprisal or attack. In principal this is one of the most endearing of the rights and also the most dangerous. Sure, the right to free speech is there and everyone has it. However, it is a burden for the speaker to carry once he or she opens their mouth to express that which they think is right or that they just feel is right for them, for others will now know what side you fall upon.

Today the rules are no different than they were a hundred or so years ago. You have the right to say what you want, and you will not be put in prison for spouting off. But no matter how safe you may feel, if you offend the wrong person or group of people you will indeed feel the wrath of their differing opinion. Such is the case for Phil Robertson. Just as the many who have come before him, he too spoke his mind about a subject that some feel is a bit dangerous. He spoke his mind and as a result his employer, in an effort to protect themselves have levied punishment unto Mr. Robertson.  

Now this situation has almost taken on a life of its own. There are a great many people who support Mr. Robertson today. They offer their support not because they agree with his comments and want to rally the troops. No, they are coming to his aid because they feel it is wrong for him to be punished for making comments that people feel he has every right to make. For those reading this who may not have heard or read what exactly Mr. Robertson said, he essentially gave his opinion on why intercourse between gay or lesbian partners was not feasible in his mind. He was not rude, he did not set out to offend anyone, nor did he make any comments that could be seen as hurtful. He simply gave an opinion. 

What his employer, A & E television has done in response is sadly just a sign of the times. For the past decade our society has been scared. We are scared to offend anybody and we are scared to say the wrong thing. This is mostly, I believe, because during that same time the people who found themselves in minority groups were starting to stand up and be proud. This was a sharp detour from the way people would see themselves prior to that change in attitude. People in minority groups would feel afraid. They would feel as if they are doing something wrong or that they were broken. 

It took words from strong leaders and for the majority groups to lead themselves from ignorance. It was ignorance that would cause much of the hate crimes or just the overwhelming fear of people who were different from themselves. Fear is the common theme here. It was fear that caused both sides to act in the manner that they did. It was fear that kept minority groups from stepping forward and it was fear that caused the majority groups to push back. Once that fear was erased through knowledge and mutual experiences both sides were finally able to see people for who they were, not what they were. 

As these changes finally started to take place everyone was scared to offend anyone else. A new fear crept in and it was a fear of hurting someone. When this became commonplace it spread all over the country. It became a morality crime to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and people and companies everywhere looked for ways to stem the tide. Eventually they found a way and that way became avoidance. If someone said something that another group felt was wrong or an incorrect way to speak that person or group of people would look to put as much room in-between them as possible. This way they could claim indifference. "It wasn't me who said that, it was him. And we will separate ourselves from that person immediately"

This happened over and over again for years and it still does today. It happens with racially motivated comments and actions as well as that against or about gays and lesbians. This my friends, is what happened to Mr. Robertson. He was made a leper for his comments and his employer looked to say, "It was him, not us and we will put as much space in-between ourselves as possible." The hope here with A & E is that people will see them as good and kind towards the offended group. The problem is that they reacted too quickly. The leapt before they looked over the side of the cliff. The comments that were made were almost benign. If I had to guess I would say that the gay and lesbian community might not even be offended by the comments. These are the comments of an old man who generally grew up in a different age and has different thoughts about certain things. At least, in my opinion, he had the decency to make his comments in a manner in which he did not blatantly offend someone. What I mean is he was not an ass about it. 

Look, the thing is, we have a lot of things in this world that could use some work. We have just started over the last few years accepting the gay and lesbian community into the rest of the community. Their allowed finally to be married. We have people in prison because they carried a half-ounce of marijuana while real criminals walk the streets. Speaking of which, the legalization of marijuana is way overdue. It is rather ironic that weed is illegal but alcohol is legal. Scientifically marijuana is less harmful than alcohol yet there is a liquor store on almost every corner. We have wars all over the world and homeless vets living in the American streets! We should spend more time fixing these issues rather than worrying about what some guy says in a magazine article. America, we have our priorities backwards and until we get them fixed we are going to lose those ideals that this country was founded on over 200 years ago.

Keeping Everything Under Control

Again I have let more time than I wanted to go by since my last posting. I have been trying to get my other site, Looking For Earth moving. Over the last few months there has been little to no action at all. In a way, it could be said that my lack of commitment to the site is the reason why there is not much going on. I mean, in order for people to get on and read they first need something TO read. Right?

I find myself often in a chaotic mess. This is ironic actually coming from me. If you knew me on a personal level you would know that I am generally one of the most organized people you could meet. I have more things organized then is necessary. Yet, when it comes to the projects that I have on the computer I cannot seem to get my stuff together. Here I am again, complaining about my "mess" to all of you on this blog. Is this a cry for help? is this a way for me to force myself to do something about what is troubling me?

I have made it clear what this blog is for many times. The name that I have chosen for both my fledgling business project as well as my blog is Diverse By Design because I am handling a diverse set of projects. As a matter of fact, everything that I am doing of late is diverse. From the types of things that I write about to the variety of skills that I can employ during the day. Everything is diverse.

Yet again, I cannot keep everything in order. At the end of the week I have this overwhelming feeling that things are out of control. This feeling that I am missing something, forgetting something, or that I just neglected something all together. It sucks, plain and simple. It sucks.

I guess there is one good thing that has come out of this. The fact that I have now realized what is happening. I mean for a while there I would get that I forgot something feeling at the end of the week and I would have no clue why or what was going on. However, I now have it figured out and because of that I feel like I can fix things. And that is precisely what I am meaning to do. I have started making a list of various things that I am doing during the week as well as the things that I need to do. This way I will know at any point in time exactly what I am missing  if anything.

Being diverse in many ways is a huge advantage that I hold over my direct counterparts. At the same time it can be a curse because all of that diversity, if you cannot keep it under control and organized can be the death of you. Now that might be the case for others in this position but I have a plan. I have everything worked out and I have been taking some notes on the wide variety of things that I have been taking care of. This way I can remain consistent and consistency is the key. Between the two blogs, my freelance writing, and my computer repair work, I think I can keep it all organized now that I know what is going on and have a plan.

And just like Hannibal used to say in the A-Team:    "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Prompt 1: There Are Only 7 Minutes Left....

There are only seven minutes left until the train leaves. I have so much to do and I will never make it. That is what is ringing through my head. I have never been a very positive person. I always see things as going wrong. So of course when I noticed there was only a few minutes until departure everything went through my head that could go wrong. Terribly wrong.

My boyfriend trusted me to get this set of blueprints back to him. His boss told him they must not leave the building and he will definitely be paying attention to where they are. Hell, just him trusting me enough to let me have them for the weekend was great. I was able to show my father the plans that his company has for the building on 1435 S. Wabash. Now he can underbid the competition because he knows exactly what will be needed. I owe Marty for this one and I will repay the favor, that's for sure.

The train! The buzzer in the station that notifies passenger that there is only five minutes remaining until departure just went off. It was so loud. There is no doubt that if you are waiting for a train and you fall asleep that you will hear the buzzer. I needed to get all my things together. I still need to make it to the lockers to retrieve the blueprints. If I don't make it there and back in five minutes and I miss the train it will be over. I must hurry!

I ran as fast as I could through the station, that is until one of the security guards spotted me and instructed me to slow down! I quickly slowed to a very brisk walk and as soon as I was out of his sight I ran again. I could see the lockers just ahead. There is a big crowd of people because the lockers are right by one of the ticketing stations. If I can make it through the crowd and to the lockers I might just make it. I reached the crowd and it was thicker than I thought it was.

I weaved my way through the crowd. I don't think that I have ever said "excuse me" so much before. Whatever. It does not matter because I made it through! I reached the lockers and put my hand into my pocket to retrieve the key. "223. Where is 223! Oh my God! Oh.. there it is.." She took the key and put it into the lock and turned it. The door popped open just a crack. She grabbed the handle and swung  the door open the rest of the way. "There they are."

She grabbed the blueprints and closed the locker leaving the key in the slot. She turned around and the first thing she saw was the clock. There was a very large clock hanging from the ceiling right by the ticket station. Looking at the clock she could tell that she only 2 minutes to make her way back to the train departure area. She lept into action running past the few people that were still in front of her by the ticket station.

Running towards the train was not hard at all. Now that she had the blueprints she felt much better. All she had left was to make it to the train and hop on. As she ran she got closer and closer. She could see the conductor waving to the engineer telling him that it was clear. They were making their last calls and the final departure buzzer rang out again. It was so loud and she hated it. That buzzer did nothing but remind her how little time she had and how close all this was to a big failure.

She finally approached the train and immediately let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh my God, I made it." She said as she stepped onto the first couple steps. She slowly walked up to the second level and found a seat in a section that was almost completely empty. As she sat down and started to relax she started placing her bags and the blueprints on the seats next to her. She figured she would take a quick nap then get a bit to eat. She put the blueprints behind the seat she was sitting on and used her purse for a pillow. All she could think about was how close all of this was and how bad she would have ruined everything had something gone really wrong.

New, Better Writing Project

The sheer variety of ideas and topics that I have written about so far on this blog has eclipsed what I had imagined originally. This was not my first blog, but it was one that I had told myself I would dedicate time to. So far I have kept my promise, for the most part.

I recently stated that I would use the blog as a repository for my writing. Although I had not done this entirely how I had planned, I kept the idea in my head. A couple weeks ago I mentioned an idea that I had about a series that focused on two older gentlemen having weekly conversations. While I liked this idea then (and still do) I realized later that it was not a practical idea for me at this time. So I pushed this one aside for now.

The site itself can use a little work. There are multiple spots that I would like to restructure and then some that I would like to completely redesign. Of course I am limited in the fact that I am using the Blogger format, I can still do some things that I want. I just have to find the time to do them. So this brings me to my new idea, and this one I like for a couple reasons. This one is both practical for the time that I have right now and will also keep the blog active with new content way more often than before.

Using this site again as a repository for my writing, I will make this new project something that will keep my writing sharp, keep the site more active, and also give me an opportunity to create more pieces that have absolutely nothing to do with any of my ongoing projects, research, or work. In my opinion that type of writing will be fun to both write and read.

So what I am going to do is take prompts from a random source. Either from a small software program that spits out various prompts or from one of the many writing websites that run creative writing programs. If I end up doing the latter I will probably get a link or get that site involved with my little creative writing thing or join one of theirs and link my blog to it. We shall see which way it all turns out, but for now at least I have an idea of what I want to do and how it will work - generally.

Since it is Monday and I plan on doing one a week, I will say that by Friday end of day I will have the first story posted. Of course, all standard copyright rules will apply.

So until then...

What Were You Thinking?

Looking through a tech magazine based in the UK, there was a small sidebar on new tech ideas that people were trying to get funding for. The one that caught my eye was a smartphone that you build with lego-like components. Each component that you wanted to add, say the camera, would be snapped in like a Lego block would. The phone itself, when completed looked like a big grey slab of parts.

Now I get the idea behind it and I applause the guy/gal for getting the idea published in the first place. But common, there wasn't five more ideas more deserving a spot in the publication than the "lego-phone"?

Sometimes you have to wonder what people are thinking when they do the things they do.

New Submission of My Older Work

I am posting a new piece of my writing on the "My Writing" page. Something that I wrote a while back. I have decided that maybe it is time to start posting much of my older pieces here and there. At the very least it will keep more new content on the board.

Here is a copy of what can be found on that page. Enjoy.

How can any person put their ideas down in their chosen medium? He must first clear his head of his daily haunts. Everyone has internalized many of the issues that plague their lives, and for everyone it is very different. People struggle with money, with love, with relationships, and with the world around them. Everyone has a varied perception of the environment that surrounds them and how much they can interact with that environment.

 

"On and Off"

People look for a sanctuary. I myself find a quiet corner hidden away in my basement. Hiding from not only my wife and children but from the issues and problems that I myself struggle with. Eventually however they will find me. They will come searching because of something they are struggling with and I am their answer. I am their solution to their problem of the day or of the minute. The world is looking for me and the longer that I can stay hidden the more I can get done. It is a viscous cycle of on and off. Of left and right, and of broken and fixed. 

Day after day the same thing takes place. Eventually there is a break in the routine but it does not last for long and it always returns to the original cycle. When they are looking for me I will hide until I am found. Once I am I will be forced to deal with the world. But then, when they are not looking or paying close enough attention I will sneak off again. Back to my hiding place in the basement. 

They will soon find ways to draw me out. They will discover a way to make me come out so they no longer have to come and find me. I will come to them. Dinner. Food. A bathroom. All things that I will need and they know it. So they sit in ambush just waiting for me to arise into sight. Once there I am bombarded with questions and requests. I can only do so much. I am only one man. I only have 2 arms.

In time it will end. In time it will all go away because I have gone away. We all do it and we have all seen it. Eventually we will go the way that our parents have. It is the natural order. It cannot be helped or stopped. We must prepare and prepare those around us for the inevitable. When it happens you should not be afraid. We all knew it was coming and it was just a matter of time. You can take solace in one thing however. You have finally found peace and quiet.

Family Bonds

The new and long awaited PlayStation 4 is being released today and there are people lined up around the block waiting to get theirs. If I had the funds for such a purchase I would be in line with them, but alas I am broke. In time I too will have one. But as of right now I will just have to wait. That is ok. I have learned to have patience over the years and I should be able to hang on for a few months until I have the ability to spend the money on one.

That is not however the reason for this posting. The subject of this article is family. Why the PS4 introduction? Because I come from a family of gamers. I started out with computers back when I was 12 and ever since then I have had an interest in gaming and so did my entire family. I remember by mother playing Crystalis on the SNES along with a variety of Final Fantasy games also. My father loved to be able to have the newest systems when they came out. So even though most people had no idea what it was, we had a Turbo Grafix 16 on it's release day. To be honest, we have owned every single system that was released stateside from 1980 on.

That was a great family for someone like me to grow up in. I remember those things and I probably will for the rest of my days. My parents always did what they could to make me and my siblings happy. My mother especially would go without just so one of us could have what we wanted. Were we spoiled? Not really. She just wanted to do what she could to make us as happy as possible. Don't misunderstand me though and get the impression that she tried to buy our love. NO, there was plenty of love to go around. Plenty of hugs. Help with homework, and hours spent talking about thing. I especially had a close relationship with my mother considering I was the first born. But she spent time with everyone equally.

We have always considered family one of the most important things in life and have passed that on to our children as well. I always remember my mother and father telling my brother and sister and I that we must make sure we all get along, because when they are gone we are all that we will have left. At the time what she said made sense and I knew that she was right. But I never thought that it would be made so blatantly clear to me as it has been lately.

Growing up I always spent time with cousins and my Aunts and Uncles. I enjoyed their company and I actually thought that my relationship with a couple of them was pretty tight. Of course, just like any family we have a couple people who are just different. People who stay away from us as a group. But still, they are family no matter what. I always thought that the rest of the family would feel the same way that I did. I should have no reason to think otherwise.

I always hear or read stories about family members who betray each other. Families that cheat others out of money or property because they are greedy. When I hear about these things I cannot for the life of me understand why people would do things like this to family. I mean, money and possessions are things. They come and they go. They will not be around to help you or to give you a shoulder to cry on, but family will. When people betray family for money it is really sad. To think that someone out there values money more than a family member is just wrong.

Unfortunately it happens all the time. Our society is full of people who things like that. Just like in my own family. When my mother died it seemed like we were finally all alone. All that was left was my brother, my sister, and myself. The rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) all disappeared. As if we never existed. Going to weddings and gloating about how much fun they are having. "A family night out on the town". Funny how just a few months go by and all of a sudden you are forgotten.

Families need to stick together. You never know when you might need them. Not only that, but you do not know when they need you. It is the family bond that is stronger than all others. It is the family bond that can withstand anything. When you stand behind family you can do anything. When your family stands behind you, you are never alone, no matter where you are. Do what you can to keep your family intact. Above all else, it is the most important thing that you can do.

Did I Misunderstand the Dog Whisperer?

I have always tried my best to be an honest person. As a person who would give credit where credit is due, and someone who would admit to being wrong. Well, I have to admit that I have been wrong. Even though what I am about to explain might not be a big deal to most, it is still something that I have to at least get out there and say.

For the longest time I have considered the Dog Whisperer a fake. Not only that, but I have also called him a jerk as well as some other "choice" words. The reason for this was always because whenever I watched his show (which was not all that often because of how I felt) I thought he was being mean to the dogs that he was training or working with. I saw his little "jabs" to the dog's neck or side as abusive. I thought that he was just beating  the dog into submission. Of course I know he was not literally "beating" dogs, so don't freak out and think I am being too harsh.

I watched the last half of a show last night in which he explained his actions as he was doing it and I finally understood what he was doing and why. He description, and mind you that my explanation of his words will probably do his no justice, but his explanation of his actions were this. He basically said that his little "jabs" essentially simulate a small nip or bite by another dog in the pack. He does this because in the dogs understanding of their world and environment they are either submissive of the one who is dominant. This is often shown by barks and short little bites or nips. So by doing that action with his hand he is doing what another dog would be doing.

Bear in mind that even with the human-dog relationship there has to be a dominant figure in order for the relationship to work and for the dog and dog owner to be happy. No one enjoys a mean or obstructive dog. Nobody wants a dog who does not listen and does nothing but cause problems. So creating that dominance is what every loving dog owner needs to do. This is done so that the dog will follow instructions and commands given by the "master". If the dog does not listen it becomes outcast and a dog that the family cannot love. We all know what happens when that is the case.

So I learned something yesterday. I learned that some of the things that I was doing in the training of my dog have been wrong. Not necessarily to the point where things cannot be fixed, but just wrong in how I understood things. I knew that there needed to be that dominant/submissive relationship but I viewed much of that as being too mean. I did not realize that when done properly it makes all the difference. My dog has always listened to me.. to an extent. I was always too scared to be too harsh.

This realization does not mean to say that I will now start being more aggressive with my dog, just more understanding. I will now be more of a "rock" when it comes to that discipline. Instead of giving in so-to-speak I know now that I just need to be stern when it comes to training and teaching rules and things. I think with this new understanding it will make for a better relationship as well as a better environment for all of us.

Oh.. and Cesar Milan... I'm sorry.

A Crashing Bohemoth!

Since late 2009 the ESA satellite GOCE (Gravity-field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer) has been operating on zero-fuel. This means that since it ran out of gas the thing has only its current momentum and speed to keep it going. So as a result, the spacecraft has been slowly losing its orbit and falling back to Earth. So this brings about the obvious question; if this thing is falling back to Earth, when and where will it crash?

That is a good question and one that I have asked myself since I heard about this a while back. The problem is that no one knows. Or so they say. Here are the details.

First of all this spacecraft is traveling at about 17,000 mph (that's pretty damn fast!). The craft weighs about a little over a ton. As of October 24th the spacecraft's orbit had already degraded by about 3.5 miles from where it normally operated. Funny that it took a little over three years for the thing to fall out of its orbit by 3.5 miles. Anyway, so to recap we have a 2,000 plus pound spacecraft traveling at about 17,000 mph about to come through the planet's atmosphere and then burst into flames and whatever is left will fall to the ground. BUT! Where it lands is anybody's guess!

See, this is what I sorta have a problem with. I pay a lot of attention to science and space related happenings. So I hear about and find it fascinating that we can do the things we do. For example, we can send a probe to an asteroid thousands of miles away from Earth. We can communicate with that probe and send it instructions to adjust its flight path. We can tell it to change its speed (somewhat). Most of all, we can get a probe the size of a washing machine to land on a rock speeding through space at about 25,000 mph that is about as big as a house. We can do all with the precision that is similar to having a remote control helicopter  the size of a flea land on a penny on the top of a skyscraper that is located in London while controlling it from Texas. But, somehow, we cannot determine where ANY of the pieces of the GOCE spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere?

See, i find this a little hard to believe and I think that there are a lot of things that we would not expect someone else to know about or how to do. But the fact of the matter is, they can and they do! We have gotten use to certain things being the case and there is even more that we just accept. However, how many things take place that we are told one thing but it is suspected something else actually took place? There are probably quite a few. The scary thing is that if you were to put yourself in their shoes, the people in charge of these certain things, you would probably agree that the best course of action is to NOT tell people the truth.

Thank A Soldier Today!!

Considering today is Veteran's Day I would not be me if I did not pay some sort of tribute to our nations soldiers past and present. So that being the case, let me say this:

It is because of our soldiers that we have the country that we do. It is because of our soldiers that we have the freedoms that we do. They have paid the ultimate sacrifice for people they do not know and will never meet. From the moment they sign their name on that form they are preparing to sacrifice everything for us. With all of my heart and everything that I am, I thank you. I thank you for what you have pledged to sacrifice and I thank you for all that you have sacrificed. Soldiers of the present and of the past. Those that have given their lives since before the beginning of this great country, for me and my family, I thank you!

Okay. Now that has been said I fee better. But this does bring up a question and therefore a reason for a short article/post. Have any of you noticed how the country's attitude towards soldiers has changed since the 9-11 tragedy? Think about it. Before that happened people just thought about soldiers as another person doing a job. Sure, they recognized that they are sacrificing everything, but there wasn't such a public outpouring of support and thanks. Things have changed.

It seems like no matter what the reason, when soldiers or the military comes up in conversation people are bursting with thanks and support. Not that it is a bad thing. No, I am happy that the general public has finally realized the amount that these people give up for us. But it just seems strange that before September 11th news anchors, public figures, and politicians alike did not give soldiers a second thought. But since then, since the war in Iraq, people regard soldiers as a higher class of citizen.

Now I don't know what caused this change, but I like it. I will admit thought that when some people give praise and thanks to the nations soldiers it sounds fake and it sounds forced. But at least they are praising those who deserve praise. I hope that soldiers truly get all the support and benefits that they deserve. They are struggling still to get the proper health benefits that they deserve and some of them are still struggling financially and even mentally. We should give them all the help that we can. If you know a soldier, shake their hand. If you see one that needs help, give it to them because without them, you would not enjoy the life that you have right now.

Thank You to America's Men and Women of the Armed Forces!

Putting Things Aside for Family

It is pretty common around here for me to end up passing on a project or task in order to accomplish something for one of my kids. I have a hard time telling one of them "NO" if I know that what they are asking is sincere and that it is something they need or really want to get done. I feel like if I do not help them at that point, they will have no other options.

In on way you could say this is akin to spoiling them. I have been acting in this manner for their entire lives. So if this is indeed spoiling them, then I suppose I am guilty. I know that is probably the case with my youngest daughter. Although people say that she is just a big "Daddy's Girl", I have a feeling that I just spoiled the crap out of her.

There have always been people who will preach the downfalls of doing this to your kids, but I don't see it. At least, not to the extent that they talk about. Many of these people will bring up kids who grow into adults that do not know how to get anything on their own. Or people who do not know how to deal with society as an individual because they are so used to having someone there to do things for them. I can see this and I have seen this. But in order for my kids to get like that I would have to do a lot more "spoiling" than I currently do.

Today I picked up a second gerbil for my youngest daughter. I had promised her this animal a few weeks ago and it was based on her accomplishing a few things as well as then completing a couple more. So in a way it was a reward for her doing something good. I always try to give them something to strive for and something to possibly gain if they complete their "mission". In this case it was keeping the room clean, working on maturity, and working on "how we talk to our parents" (she had an issue with a screaming match with mom). So yes, I might have went a bit overboard when we brought the little bugger home, but it is not like I just went out and bought it for her as some parents do.

When we brought the little gerbil home I had to clean out an aquarium that we had in the garage. Then I had to design and build a screened top for it that she would be able to lift and open and close. This took some time of course. The problem with this was, and the reason why I started writing about this in the first place, is that I had a full schedule for this evening. I ended up passing on the things that I had planned on doing just so I could handle the gerbil house construction.

While I just succeeded in making my tomorrow much busier than I wanted it to be, I also succeeded in making my little girl happy. So I think it is a win. And if I am super busy tomorrow I will survive. We all sacrifice for our kids and I am no different. This is just the most recent example of me putting myself out to make my kids happy, and I can tell you that it will not be the last.

Until next time...

What I Can Do For You

For those of you who are in the process of bringing a product to market or if you are working with a company that already has their product on store shelves, you might want to consider some well placed publicity writing! Putting customer testimonials or positive reviews in the right places can do wonders for a products image. Getting this done is not as hard as some people might think, and the Internet is the perfect place to do just that.

I have been working with various companies over the summer to bring various products into the homes and minds of consumers. Products such as coffee, mobile speakers, tablet keyboards, personalized thumb drives, and more! If you are looking for some information on how the big boys do it as well as some well placed publicity you have come to the right place.

I will use my experience with these various companies to help you market your product. Whether you have just an idea or you have a full fledged product that is ready to come to market, using a smaller but experienced freelancer like myself is the best way to save money and get the job done.

I am more than willing to provide you with samples as well as a couple testimonials of my work. The advantages that you get by using a freelancer versus a larger company should be rather obvious but just in case they are not let me help you understand what those advantages are.

• You will get dedication and loyalty. A large firm might have the name recognition, but do you think they will recognize you? You are just another client to them and your needs are second to theirs. With me you get my full attention and you are priority number 1!
• All your requests will be handled directly by me. Nothing is outsourced or handed off to a secretary or assistant. 
• I have a 100% deadline rate. This means that if I tell you something will be completed by a certain time and/or date.. it will!
• My rates are more than competitive, they are untouchable. You will NOT find a large company that can offer the prices that I can for the same services. I dare you to try. 

If you are curious just what I can do for you, for your website, for your company, or your product just ask. I have a variety of experience and skills ranging from media buys to marketing and advertising to creative research. There is almost nothing that I cannot do for you. You can find my freelance services on Elance or here on my blog.  It doesn't hurt to ask just what I can do for you.

Adding Some of My Writing

Looks like things are getting crazy 'round here again. A while back I toyed with the idea of posting some of my writing here and I think I decided to do so. I had to do a little bit of research on copyright laws, rules, some of the "un-written" rules laid down by writing communities and such, and various other things. I wouldn't want any of my stuff getting out there without my byline now would I?

So.. considering that I have 2 other sites to work with as well as regular writing work that I get paid for and my family - things will move a bit slower than I would have liked. But then again, that has been the norm around here.

My Personal Idea Mill.

One of the things that I see as an issue with my writing is the inability I have to finish any one particular piece or idea. When I come up with a new idea I write it down in my writing app, but I never seem to finish it. I guess I should be happy that I at least write down what I have at the time, and I am. But I write the idea basically as a story. So when I do this, I end up with a bunch of stories that are all unfinished and range anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 3 pages (or more).

At this point in time I probably have around 150 of these "ideas" or "unfinished stories" - whatever you want to call them. In one respect I suppose this is a good way to not lose any ideas that spring to mind. But it can also become an organizational nightmare. So what is a writer to do?

I think the most obvious solution would be to start putting some sort of closure on each of the ideas. To go in and put an ending on each one or at least give each one what it needs to be either an idea that can be used later or something that can at some point become a story onto itself. The  only problem with something like this is the time that would be involved. This would be rather time consuming.

Another idea toyed with was to start putting them on a blog. Either on this one or start another specifically for the reason of hosting these story "pieces". The immediate problem that I can see with this possible solution would be how do I protect my intellectual property?

This is something to think about, for sure. I do think that I would gain some benefit from publishing them here or on another blog. Then again, if I could not protect what is mine then I just set myself up to fail. Big time.

Something to ponder.

My Tooth Infection & Me!

I finally get to a point in which I have a decent amount of work daily and the trend sees it growing even more as time goes on. The problem is that for the last two weeks (and the next week at least) I have been unable to work! It figures, I finally get to a point where I reached one of my short term goals and this happens. Why can't I work? That's easy..  I have a massive tooth infection. A week ago it spread and I ended up hospitalized and now I am having a hard time finding a dentist, or oral surgeon actually, that is willing to handle the situation at a reasonable rate and as quickly as possible.

I cannot concentrate for the most part. They have been unable to get me out of pain and as a result I have suffered. I can't eat, can't sleep, can't focus, I can't do anything hardly. At this point it has taken me about 15 minutes plus just to write this couple paragraphs. Between mistakes, corrections, and concentration problems I'm surprised I have gotten this far. Thank God for Spell Checker!

I WILL return and I will be stronger than ever! I hope.

See you guys in a week.

Will You Give Up or Keep on Writing

It is a well known fact that people are usually told to never give up on themselves in life. It is one of the lessons parents always like to teach to their children. I continue to try and impart such wisdom on my kids daily. But, do we really put this into action in the real word? How many times have you been told that what you have done was not good enough just to leave it at that and walk away? How many times have you asked for a second chance? I am here to tell you that it is always worth asking for. I am here to tell you that those lessons we have been taught by our parents and that we in turn teach to our children are well worth the effort.

Keep Going. Never Stop.

In the distant past I held a few sales jobs. None of the jobs really led to anything special, but I gained valuable knowledge while working in that field. I am naturally an outgoing person so as a salesman I had that to my advantage. Although I was a good talker there is a lot more than just talking to people involved in sales. One of the main things that I learned, among many other things, was to never take no for an answer. Be resilient. Never give up.

I took that to heart. There is a well known statistic in the sales industry and it is used as a training tool.  
For every 20 "nos" you will get 1 "yes" on average anyway. This is true. It is also an example of why you need to keep going. Imagine a door-to-door salesman. Walking down the street, knocking on doors, attempting to sell his wares. He will have to knock on 20 doors before he gets one person interested or curious enough to welcome him in for a deeper explanation of his product. You must keep going.

I kept telling myself this while I was placing bid after bid on Elance. No matter how frustrated I got I just kept remembering my days in sales. I knew that if I persevered something would come out of it. Wouldn't you know it, it finally did. A couple weeks ago I got a hit on one of my bids and now I am working with the person consistently. It is not a big job, but it is a job. It is just what I was looking for. A win.

Getting a Second Chance

After working for about three weeks with the person I connected with on Elance, I got another opportunity. This time it seemed as if it was for a job that would offer consistency. This is what I have been looking for. A consistent job that at least for the most part I could count on. So I followed the instructions for the bid and placed my proposal. The reply came in and they requested that I send in a "test" article based on the keyword phrase they gave me. I figured, ok. No problem. I have done this plenty of times.

I wrote the article and sent it in. At this point I was excited. I was nervous. I really wanted this job to work out because of the promise of consistency. I got my hopes up too high. The next day I got a reply to the article that I had sent in and it said, "Sorry. This is not what we are looking for." I was crushed.

I had not put all my eggs into one basket so to speak, but instead all of my hopes.  If this was any other circumstance I think I would have just deleted the thread of messages and emails and just moved on. As if none of that had ever happened. That is the great thing about technology today. You can wipe out everything if you want to. So I took a couple hours and I thought about it. As it turned out, the reason my article was not "accepted" was because it went in the wrong direction. I had not paid enough attention to what they were looking for.

So I decided that I needed to follow my own school of thought on this one and keep going. So I emailed and explained my situation and how I misunderstood the meaning of the article and what they were looking for. I essentially asked for a second chance. It was granted.

So I re-wrote the article and I did so along the lines of what they were looking for. After submitting the revised work I got an email explaining that the second time around was much better and that I had the job! If I had not asked for a second chance or had I not decided to keep going and to not give up I would have moved on and would not have a new job that I start this coming Monday.

Believing in Yourself

It is cliche and a bit tacky to some to say that, "you must always believe in yourself". "You must never give up. Always fight on!" But you know what, it is true. It is all true.

Think about it. Who else are you going to put faith in if not yourself? This is especially true for writers. We all put ourselves out there with everything that we submit. Everything we write is a piece of us. Whether it is our byline or not, there is a piece of us in everything that we do. It is sorta like walking into a crowd naked and exposed.

That being the case, you must be proud of what you do. You must believe that what you have written is what you want it to be. If you cannot believe in your own work then you might as well not be in this profession. Writing can be an escape for some and for others it can be a sword that they wield with the power of the Gods. No matter which your writing is for you, if you do not believe in what you write and your ability to do so then you will never have the power to lift that sword.

What to Watch

I spend a great deal of time watching television. Or at least that is what my wife tells me. I actually do not watch as much as I would like to. Really. That is the truth.

So why does she think I watch so much of it? Probably because I see more shows than she does. Because I know more about what is going on in a particular show, it makes her think that I have seen every possible episode of the show leading up to that point. It is a fair observation really. Just not always the truth.

Discovering Some New Shows

It is like I tell my son when he asks if I have tried a new video game (which I used to fill most of my free time with). "I just do not have as much free time as I would like, so the time that I do have I must use as effectively as possible."

That means that if I have say, only one hour with which to watch television on a particular day, I must make sure that whatever I watch in that hour is enjoyable. I cannot let it go to waste. That being said, lately I have not had much free time. So I have to choose what to watch carefully. Now after some careful consideration and with a history of not steering me wrong before, I have been watching a couple #BBC America over the last few weeks.

Now I am not sure how big of a following they have over here or even how big these shows are on the other side of the pond. But for me, the shows that I have been watching have been great and I cannot wait until more free time presents itself because I know what I will be doing with it.

I have yet to do any research on any of the following shows that I am about to discuss. Usually that is one of the first things that I do, even when I am going to write about something that I know inside and out. I just like to always be prepared. But in this case, for some reason, I just wanted to talk about them. I think my favorites right now are #Luther and #Broadchurch.

Both shows are heavy dramas and both of them are acted so well that it is amazing to me some of these people have not hit it bigger. Or maybe I am just not paying enough attention - which is entirely possible. I first started to see promos for #Luther while watching #Broadchurch. They were enticing and they would show just enough of the show to catch my attention and make me want to see more. So one day I finally caught up with Broadchurch and there were no more new episodes, so I went for Luther.

Here is the thing about the show. It is not a regular series in the fact that they do not air ten to 15 episodes per season. The first season only had six episodes and the second only four. So this is more akin to a mini-series but one that comes back every year. When I hear the term "mini-series" I think of something that airs for two to three episode only once. There is nothing mini about this show.

The writing is simply spectacular and the acting brings it to life beautifully. On top of that, and I do not say this often about a television show, but the music actually helps to bring the show up or down. There was an episode I watched the other day (which one does not matter as they are all worthy of praise) and by the end of the show I was actually sitting there, mouth agape, then the music to end the episode came on and I was riveted. I just sat there listening to the music contemplating what I had just seen. It has been a very long while since I was put in such a mood by a television show.

Of course there are a lot of shows that try to work various angles and all the different ways to tell a story. The characters within a story are very important and in a T.V. series even more so I think. The writer has an opportunity to build on a character through different episodes and work them into the plot in various ways. Sometimes, well most times actually, with the standard show there are limitations to how well or how deep one can develop a character. This is mostly the case because the writers try to squeeze it all in to one episode. Especially in the modern crime drama. There is a sense that the bad guy must be caught in the same episode they are introduced in.

Why is that? Why do they feel as if the criminal must be dealt with right away? I'm not sure of the reasoning behind it, and I am also not sure if that whole philosophy is just different in the U.K. or not. What I do know is that in #Luther they do not feel the need to complete an investigation, catch the bad guy, or put the story to rest in a single episode. The show has benefited from this because there is no overwhelming feeling that all the world's troubles must be resolved every week.

I like that about the show. There is no anxiety as the hour draws to a close that they must catch the guy who is out there. This allows the writers to draw in more angles to the story. To develop more character arcs and ultimately round out the show to a point were it more realistically reflects the world that we live in. I think that a show such as this with all it's great acting, wonderful writing, and stellar editing, music, and filming will take home a lot of awards and hopefully remain on the air for some time. I for one would miss it sorely should it complete this season and be done for good. There is no show in America that even comes close.

Cannot Forget about Broadchurch

With all of this talk about Luther, I almost neglected to talk about my other favorite #BBC America show, #Broadchurch. As far as dramas go this one is top notch. While I do not see this one going anywhere once they find Danny's killer, it has surely been very enjoyable getting there.

When I first decided to watch this one I had absolutely no idea what it was about. I mean, I had seen a promo for it and knew that it was a crime drama of sorts but I had no clue about the specifics. After watching it for about the first twenty minutes however I was hooked and I think it was at that point that I had made a decision to stick with it until the end. The one thing that catches my attention about the #BBC shows is the fact that I do not know any of the actors. This gives every show that I watch on this channel a bit more realism to me. Since I do not recognize the faces there is not that much of a stretch in the imagination department in order for me to get into the story.

The acting in this one is just about as good as in #Luther but then again they are different shows even though they both share the crime drama genre. That being said I think that cast of Luther does a bit of a better job in this department. Don't let that take anything away from the cast of Broadchurch however. They are great and the show itself is wonderful as well. The one difference in these two shows is the overall feeling of finality.

Broadchurch will eventually come to an end, and I fear that it is nearing. Again, I have done no research for this article like I normally would have but I do not think the show will continue once the killer is found. Sure, the talented writing staff they have could surely come up with a way to continue the story of a community ripped apart by the murder of a young boy. But I don't think it would play well, especially once the main theme of the story ends. So with that in mind every episode that I watch has an eery feeling about it because I know that it is one step closer to ending. Every time a big clue is found or the coppers fall into a big lead that pans out I get a little worried.

Next on the Agenda

Moving forward I'm not too sure what I will find next to watch in what little free time I do have. I know I have to get back on track with my updates and posts here - not to mention my other work and website (www.lookingforearth.com). No matter what happens though I know for a fact that I will always check the BBC show listing from now on. In the past I would glance at it here and there but would never pay much attention to anything on it. That will never happen again as I will always give #BBC the time it deserves.

There are quite a lot of good shows on the various networks today. Then  there are those who's time have passed or those that did not get a fair shake. Shows like #TheAmericans fore example. I really liked it but it seems as if it will not be returning. Then again, like I said, no research prior to this post. I have to make sure that this is the only time I do that. If nothing else I just tire of stating that fact.

In addition - the Fall shows are returning and more are on their way. September in America always brings with it many new shows as well as the triumphant return of some old ones.#SonsofAnarchy comes to mind as one such show. What all this tell me is that I need to find a way to get some more free time! 

Which One?

I have taken a bit of a step back of late. Most of the writing that I have done has been of the work variety. That is a good thing however and I actually wish that I had more of it. Thing is though - I need to have a certain amount of writing that I enjoyable. A certain amount of writing that I want to do. Things that when I am finished, I feel as if I did something fun. Although it might seem a bit cheesy or out there, every now and again I really enjoy the writing.

"If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life."

I do not know who said that, or even if it is a quote by a single person or just a saying in general. You don't need me to tell you that it is true. It should be obvious. Based on the context of this post, does it now beg the question; do I love what I do?

I certainly like it. But I do not love it. There are plenty of other things that I would do for work that I could say that I loved. Maybe if I made a lot more money doing what I do. Maybe then I would love it. But not now.

So then why on Earth would I even bring all of this up or start a post with this idea?

There are a lot of different jobs that a person can do. Each of us is not only good at certain tasks but we all have various things that we like to do as well. We do these things because well, we have to is we want to survive and provide for those that we love. So we go to work and we do what we need to do in order to earn money. Some of us go to school to learn various things so that we can, one day, use that knowledge in the pursuit of more money. Then of course there are those who seem to have been born with a silver spoon up their bum. Seems like everything good always happens to them. Either that or they just happen to have the financial support behind them for whatever they might want to do. They might have been born into it or it was given to them. Either way, these people have not worked for, nor have they earned anything that they now possess.

So based on that we now have two classes of people. Those who work for their money and those who are handed theirs. I guess the only question that remains now is which one are you?

Where Has the Work Gone? That is a Good Question.

Lately much of what I have written about here is referencing the supposed downfall of the "Get Paid To Write" industry. While I have only based my opinion on the few sites that I used, I still feel my opinion to be solid. I have seen (and heard) a couple varying opinions about the industry of late and in this post I intend to address all of them as well as to reiterate my opinion on the matter.

First, let me take you back to the beginning. Back to a few weeks ago when I first started to notice the lack of work where there used to be an abundance. Like I said above, I based my opinion on the sites that I used and not on the entire lot of them. A small sample size some would say. However small, the 6 sites that I would write for accounted for a decent amount of money. Not that I was getting rich, but I was able to remain in my current station and was not forced to seek a part time or full time job out in the Real World. So the money was at least sufficient.

While I am not going to just start listing off the sites that I would work for, I will say that I have mentioned them many times before in various posts both here and in the Google Plus communities. In addition, I have worked for 4 out of the 6 sites for over two years. So I have a nice amount of time to base my so-called theories on as well. And here they are:

I believe that the "Get Paid To Write" industry is in the midst of a change. I am not yet sure to what degree or to what extent, but something is surely amiss. Again, places where I would easily have enough work to keep me busy at least for 4 hours daily are now devoid of any work at all. Are they all disappearing? No, they still remain and work does pop up every now and again. But nowhere near where it was before.

Also, there are a couple sites that I would always have an easy time getting in touch with either live support or  email based support. Now... nothing. I cannot even get a reply when writing to the Big Cheese. So what does this mean? I'm not sure yet. Nor am I some industry guru either. But, I have noticed this altered way of doing business and I am worried. Worried because I liked working for these sites and worried because I liked the money.

The reason I liked working for the sites that I did was because they were responsive to my requests/questions, and they paid ON TIME and ACCURATELY! To me this is very important.

So what is this change? Could they be merging? Going out of business? Losing contracts? I really cannot say for sure. But the crappy part about all of this is that I have been forced to seek work in places that I stayed away from for a reason. For example.. I have done some work for Article Teller and Hire Writers in the past, so I hit them up again. While they had some work to be done it was not all that desirable. Plus their payments were more on the low end from what I was used to. Either way.. it was work so I did a couple.

Here is the problem. Out of the 4 article that I did for both sites all of them were rejected! Now this is not my ego talking when I say that I know the work was not "below standard" or below what they either expected or what they can sell to their clients. I have had this thought before about these sites (and others) but I really think when they reject my work they are just looking to get the writing for free. They reject it, still sell it to their client so they get paid. But by rejecting it on my end they do not have to pay me, the writer.

I suppose that I could scour the net looking for my written work, but that takes time. Time that I do not have because I need to work and make money. In  a way, they have me by the short hairs. There are not to many options in this scenario. None else that I can see anyway. The best one that I can see? To no longer write for either of these sites again.

Some of the other opinions that I have heard around the water cooler of late? That maybe the sites are just in a down period. While this is entirely possible and would make sense, this would also mean that at some point they would rise back up. Yet I have not seen such a thing happen yet. Then again these things take time and they do not happen on my time table. So patience is needed.

Another.. maybe I am just not writing for the right places? Well.. this could very well be. My problem here is that I have, for most of the sites that I use, been working with them for on average two years. IN that time you would think that I would have found both the good sites and the bad ones. I would have also, in that time, gravitated towards the good ones. Now this I have done, certainly. And sure.. there are some bad sites in my list. But most of them are good ones. I do not make a habit of saving web addresses of places that I do not like to visit. People rarely do.

In my opinion there are generally two types of writing in this business. There is the SEO style and the Creative style. I think for the most part good writers prefer the Creative style. SEO is ok but it is too keyword heavy and lacks a certain.. story to the writing. Yet it is the SEO that people in the content market generally want to pay for because in the long run it is what drives search results to their sites and therefore to their wallet.

Even though this is true I have not found much by way of the SEO market either. IT seems that the work has dried up in both arenas. Why, I just do not know. But I would like to find out. I would like to be able to get back to getting paid for my writing as well as being able to tell myself that I am "working". That is a rather satisfying feeling is it not? And while not too many of us have gotten rich in this line of work it is the potential that I think keeps many of us in it. The potential of our work getting out there or our name becoming worth something and therefore driving more lucrative work our way. I keep searching for this and other answers and if I should find any, you can count on me writing about them here.

IS IT JUST ME, OR IS IT THEM?

Ahh.. here we are, back to the topic of writing articles for money.

I have been doing this for a couple years now and for the most part things have been good. Even in the bad times things were at least decent. These days however it seems to me that the status of the industry (if you can call it that) is on the downfall.

Don't just take my word for it. See how your experiences compare to mine. Check this out:

• For the last two months I have seen the most consistent site that I have worked for go from having work nearly everyday to having work once every 5 days (if that).
• Two of my "back-up" sites, sites that I work for when my main site has no articles to write, are rejecting about 95% of the work I do. This can't be right. For one, they always accepted my work before. And for two I know the work that I submit is not "poor quality". Sometimes I wonder if they are rejecting my work just so they do not have to pay out and the requester is still keeping the articles.  Wish there was an easy way to check this.
• The work requirements for certain tiers of compensation have increased. For example: The site might list a certain category as 300 words which is supposed to have work averaging about 300 words. But when you read the details for the requested job, they ask for "more than 470 words". Essentially they are getting a 500 or more word piece for the 300 word price. 

While some might just say that I am nit-picking or being petty about these work requirements. I can see how it would look that way. But let me say that for someone who has worked in this "industry" for multiple years now, it was not like this before. At least not for the sites that I would have considered "good". I only signed up with those kinds of sites. I never went with the cheaper ones out there. If you have been doing this for a while you know what I mean. There are good and bad content sites.

Oh yea.. and today I checked a couple of the reviews for work that I did last night. I was working for a site called "Article Teller" . Not the greatest, but there are worse sites out there. I only did two articles for them last night because I did not want to invest too much of my time in something that I was not sure about. Even though I have worked with them a lot in the past, some of their clients have been rather shady lately. And I fear that I ran into another one last night.

When checking over the reviews of my work from yesterday I saw that both of my articles were rejected! Now, I am not a prick. If my work was rejected for legitimate reasons I can take it. I have no problem revising my work to meet a clients standards or requests. All they need to do is tell me what they want. But when I clicked on the "notes" to see why it was turned down I was shocked to see, "rejected for English too poor for peer review process".

I had to laugh when I read that. Well, then I was mad. "Thank god I did not spend too much time doing work for them yesterday" I thought to myself. So of course I wrote a note to the "requester" asking for more specific detail on why my article was rejected. I said that I could not accept "English too poor" as a reason. Not when I see how people destroy the language every day on the net.

I know this has been a bit on the rant side of things but I had to blow off some steam. I must also apologize to my readers for most of my posts being about this topic of late. It is just that I have been doing this type of work for a while now and seeing the industry fall apart before my eyes is disheartening. Especially when I was making decent money for a while there when the work was consistent. Now I make next to nothing. It is truly sad. I promise, I will start writing about other things soon enough... :)

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Computer Purchase Consultation - Let's Save Some Money!

This is a post more for those local to me. This is also a bit of an advertisement for services provided by my company, Diverse By Design.

Computer Purchase Consultation

Before you say to yourself, "Why would I need something like that? Do I really need someone advising me on the purchase of a new computer?" consider the following. 

Most people who walk into Best Buy to purchase a new computer will walk out having spent anywhere from $500 to $2,300 for their new system. You might feel like you are happy with what you bought and you might try to justify the cost to yourself by saying that it was necessary to spend that much if you wanted a computer to fit your needs. However, the truth of the matter is that if you spent that much, then you have over-spent. If you spent that much then most likely 40% of that cost is for the brand alone. And finally, if you spend that much on a new computer from Best Buy you probably also got suckered into paying for their "extended warranty plan" or their "service plan" that includes the services of Geek Squad. Don't even get me started on the waste of skin that those fools are. 

Over the last few years computer manufacturers have made some changes industry wide in how things are done. New companies have come on board to provide various parts and equipment. New companies have also sprung up selling complete computer packages at economy prices too. Overall the computer industry that consumers are exposed to is vastly different than it was about 5-10 years ago.

In my experience the people who shop at Best Buy (in general) for a computer fit into one of the following scenarios:

• Parents buying a computer for their son or daughter.
• People buying their first computer.
• Senior citizens purchasing their first computer.
• Young couple buying a computer for their home/apartment (just moved in).
• Finally, just the average guy or gal who needs one - they just know almost nothing about computers.

Do you see the pattern that has emerged? Generally these people who purchase from Best Buy have one thing in common. They do not know hardly anything about what they are buying... computers.

This is where I come in, or rather Diverse By Design does. Like I said, people who know about computers, about what they are buying, do not shop at Best Buy. Why? Because for one the staff at Best Buy are trained to try and oversell you. Two, the staff at Best Buy do not have the proper amount of knowledge. Ask them a question that they cannot answer and they will lie instead of finding the answer. It is easier to  sell someone on the computer they are staring at if you just sit there and say, "yea.. it will do that. Sure it will do that too." They will say things like this even though they have no clue if it is true or not.

When you work with Diverse By Design you get full professional service. You have a question? I will answer it with the truth and with facts. If for some reason I do not know the answer, I will tell you that I do not know the answer. BUT! I will then go and find the answer for you. I have been doing research all my life. So if I do not know the answer, I promise you I can find it.

As mentioned above, you will receive proper and professional service when working with me. You will get the benefit of my knowledge, my experience, as well as some of my connections and ability to work a deal. When people purchase a computer it should be treated as a big deal. It is for this reason that a process has been developed by myself for helping people who are purchasing a computer with our help. Just because I know what I am talking about, does not mean that you do. So I have to make it easy for people to understand exactly what is happening when going through the technical options. It is always best for the customer/client to know what they are buying. Not just to know that they have "a good one."

The Computer Purchase Consultation Process

Purchasing a computer is more and more becoming a big family purchase. This is especially true when it fits one of the situations I mentioned above. It is for those reasons (and more) that it makes sense to involve someone who knows what is going on. Especially when you are not so sure yourself. But, you of course have to be able to trust that person. The trust is a difficult thing to build when there is no previous relationship. This is why I try to include references or previous customer testimonials in various places on my ads or website. Sometimes there is no better way to build that trust than to show that others have already taken that leap of faith and found out that I am trustworthy and that I am true to my word.

That being said, let me fill you in a little bit on the process and how involving someone like me in the purchase of a computer can work. Communication is the biggest tool in all of business and it is often times the biggest tool that is used the least. I am big on communication and that is why I have been told that I sometimes overuse email. While this might be the case, the way I look at it is that we have a communication tool like email that allows people to communicate various messages of equally varying importance. But, no matter how menial or important a message might be the fact is that it gets through to the intended recipient. At least the point gets across.

To that end I will often tell my clients that anytime they have a question, no matter how small, do not hesitate to email me about it. I will always respond within 12 hours (usually way sooner). There are no stupid questions and unless you ask it, I cannot help. When was the last time a place like Geek Squad or a similar outfit has told a customer to email them anytime for free tech support? They would not, have not, and do not. Nothing they do is free. I give all my clients free email tech support. If I cannot solve your problem via email, then we can take it to the next level.

OK, on to the actual process. The first thing is to send me an email with your plans. Just, in a very relaxed manner, explain to me what you are trying to accomplish. What are you looking to get in a computer and where (if anywhere) have you looked already)? Once I get this email, and the conversation has started, I will send you a form to complete with some more specific questions that help me to determine what you are looking for exactly.

After this form is sent back and I have time to review it I will then send you one final email detailing my suggestions, what I think you are looking for and asking for you to confirm my thoughts. This email will also contain information on the next steps. Confirmation of my fee for the consultation as well as an attempt to coordinate a time for us to go wherever we will be going for the purchase attempt. I will accompany you to the store to help speak with the staff, negotiate a deal (you would be surprised how many times you can haggle/negotiate a price these days - and I am good at it). This way any final questions you have or if you change your mind regarding certain features or devices, I will be there to help. After all, that is what a consult should consist of. I will be with you every step of the way.

The Final Steps

After this trip to the store, and after your purchase is made, our consultation agreement is coming to an end. Even so, you are now my customer and you are welcome (as are all my clients) to free email tech support anytime from this point forward. Once getting the system home if you need further assistance with setup, networking configuration, or anything else, those services are also available of course. It all depends on you and how much help you need from me. But the one thing I can tell you is that you will be happy with your purchase and because I was there to help throughout the process you will have a system that you can be happy about. You will have spent less money than you would have otherwise and the computer will fit all of your needs perfectly. THAT is the main benefit to using someone like me for this process.

I know doing something like this, using someone else to help you make a purchase, is not exactly what you might be used to. But you have to consider the fact that these days we all have to do things a little bit differently in order to save money. This is a service that can definitely do that for you. Sure, I charge for this service, but even so, when you are done and you go home to unpack your system, you will have spent hundreds less than you would have without the help. My goal is to help you learn more about your computer and be able to use the technology that you have. This is the first step to that process, and one that you will enjoy. When is the last time you can say that you actually enjoyed spending money?