A new and very informative web site just went live. Its administrator the very talented spouse of a National Guardsman. Her name is Emily and I am fortunate to have made her acquaintance online a few months back. She is one of the driving forces behind a favorite spot of mine, The Silent Ranks forum, and she is a self taught web mistress. Her work is impressive, particularly the new site. She has labored away at this thing in a much more organized and persistent fashion than I have with usmcwives.com. She has solicited input from other military spouses and this will serve to make the site all the more relevant in the military community. It contains everything from tips for beginners to base ratings. It's still a work in progress but I strongly recommend paying a visit as soon as possible!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Grabby McSnatchy
So, I've been trying to do a little bit of research about online forums and resources for Marine spouses and girlfriends. The idea is for me to be somewhat well informed so that I can pass on any good leads to the ladies on our forum.
My philosophy is: To each her own. What works for one person might not for another. What one person lives by might bore the life out of the next person. So on our site I have posted (and will post more) links to other sites and good forums.
But I find it interesting how grabby some places are with their users. I get that they don't want blatant spamming or advertising for other forums (and I never do this!). But some of the little rules and nuances I have come across are very rigid and seem to be geared towards keeping their guests inhouse.
Am I just ignorant or naive? I mean.... I understand why a for-profit business wouldn't want to redirect its customers the competition. But how good is a support forum or resource center if it doesn't actually offer ALL MEANS of support and a wide array of resources?
This is just a musing about the situation. Complaining is a waste of energy. But I have resigned myself to stay true to the goal of offering up whatever goodies I find to others who may be interested. If that leaves me talking to myself but results in happy members, I'm good.
My philosophy is: To each her own. What works for one person might not for another. What one person lives by might bore the life out of the next person. So on our site I have posted (and will post more) links to other sites and good forums.
But I find it interesting how grabby some places are with their users. I get that they don't want blatant spamming or advertising for other forums (and I never do this!). But some of the little rules and nuances I have come across are very rigid and seem to be geared towards keeping their guests inhouse.
Am I just ignorant or naive? I mean.... I understand why a for-profit business wouldn't want to redirect its customers the competition. But how good is a support forum or resource center if it doesn't actually offer ALL MEANS of support and a wide array of resources?
This is just a musing about the situation. Complaining is a waste of energy. But I have resigned myself to stay true to the goal of offering up whatever goodies I find to others who may be interested. If that leaves me talking to myself but results in happy members, I'm good.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Pardon me while I implode.
For crying out loud! I am so discombobulated. Seriously.
I feel like I am behind on everything, forgetting stuff and missing the obvious at every turn lately. I guess 4 weeks of road trip with the family should explain it, but I want my brain back!
I had to go in and accept/decline/delete/approve about 50 Facebook messages/apps/gifts, etc. yesterday.
I have 4,987 emails in my "personal" email inbox.
I have 2,618 emails in my Salted Luck and usmcwives.com email inboxes.
I have about 33 calls to make.
I haven't made any jewelry in over a month.
My dog needs to go to the vet and my daughter needs a routine check up (and shots!) with the pediatrician.
I am supposed to be making some calls and possibly doing some paperwork to prepare for some contract work I am going to do for my last employer. But at least that one is out of my hands: waiting for a return phone call.
But despite all of this and my brain being overloaded and disorganized: I am, as ever, a very happy woman. My husband is a beautiful specimen of a man who just showed his family the greatest time in the history of vacations. He's working on our fence out back and he's taking me to see my beloved WILLIE NELSON on Friday night! My son is an evil genius. My daughter is cuter (and, too, more evil) by the day. The usmcwives forum is growing exponentially by the week. I'm registered for classes now and school starts at the end of next month, which I am very excited about. And it looks like I'm getting another work-from-home opportunity very soon.
Life is good.
What day is it, again??
I feel like I am behind on everything, forgetting stuff and missing the obvious at every turn lately. I guess 4 weeks of road trip with the family should explain it, but I want my brain back!
I had to go in and accept/decline/delete/approve about 50 Facebook messages/apps/gifts, etc. yesterday.
I have 4,987 emails in my "personal" email inbox.
I have 2,618 emails in my Salted Luck and usmcwives.com email inboxes.
I have about 33 calls to make.
I haven't made any jewelry in over a month.
My dog needs to go to the vet and my daughter needs a routine check up (and shots!) with the pediatrician.
I am supposed to be making some calls and possibly doing some paperwork to prepare for some contract work I am going to do for my last employer. But at least that one is out of my hands: waiting for a return phone call.
But despite all of this and my brain being overloaded and disorganized: I am, as ever, a very happy woman. My husband is a beautiful specimen of a man who just showed his family the greatest time in the history of vacations. He's working on our fence out back and he's taking me to see my beloved WILLIE NELSON on Friday night! My son is an evil genius. My daughter is cuter (and, too, more evil) by the day. The usmcwives forum is growing exponentially by the week. I'm registered for classes now and school starts at the end of next month, which I am very excited about. And it looks like I'm getting another work-from-home opportunity very soon.
Life is good.
What day is it, again??
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A good excuse. Really.
Honestly, I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I can't believe the world is still turning and people are just carrying on with their lives when something is so clearly missing?! Lol.
I do, however, have an excellent excuse for my bloglessness. My family has been on a kamikaze road trip since the 12th of June. We're talking a Suburban loaded to the maximum and carrying two adults, a 9 year old and a 13 month old. Minnesota to Texas, Texas to Kentucky, Kentucky to North Carolina and now North Carolina to South Carolina. We won't even be home until next Wednesday! A crazy, crazy plan... but we've been visiting family and we are having a BLAST! We'll be at Myrtle Beach, SC this afternoon and will be there until Sunday morning. Good stuff!
Also good stuff is the fact that I sold 3 pieces of jewelry while on the road.... without even trying! ;) And the usmcwives.com forum is growing by the day. We're up to about 1700 posts and chatting like crazy. It's fantastic. I'm not enjoying the spam we've been getting and I'm still working on that issue-- but at least it's only a pain for me and not for the members. New accounts now require approval... that way we don't log on in the morning to find Euro smut awaiting. Eew.
As it turns out, typing while riding is making me carsick. That won't do. So I'm out. But I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of Juiy weekend... to include being grateful for everyone who has ever secured our freedom!
I do, however, have an excellent excuse for my bloglessness. My family has been on a kamikaze road trip since the 12th of June. We're talking a Suburban loaded to the maximum and carrying two adults, a 9 year old and a 13 month old. Minnesota to Texas, Texas to Kentucky, Kentucky to North Carolina and now North Carolina to South Carolina. We won't even be home until next Wednesday! A crazy, crazy plan... but we've been visiting family and we are having a BLAST! We'll be at Myrtle Beach, SC this afternoon and will be there until Sunday morning. Good stuff!
Also good stuff is the fact that I sold 3 pieces of jewelry while on the road.... without even trying! ;) And the usmcwives.com forum is growing by the day. We're up to about 1700 posts and chatting like crazy. It's fantastic. I'm not enjoying the spam we've been getting and I'm still working on that issue-- but at least it's only a pain for me and not for the members. New accounts now require approval... that way we don't log on in the morning to find Euro smut awaiting. Eew.
As it turns out, typing while riding is making me carsick. That won't do. So I'm out. But I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of Juiy weekend... to include being grateful for everyone who has ever secured our freedom!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The last impromptu cocktails.
I'm a bit sad today. Partly because it's gloomy and rainy outside and partly because of my neighbors getting ready to move.
We met Jill, Barry and their 4 boys right after we moved into our house a year ago. They live right next to us and they are great fun. We've spent a lot of time together, much of it unplanned and on the spur of the moment. This is easily done when you're next door neighbors. And they are only moving a couple of miles from here, so we'll still visit frequently. But last night was probably the last time we will run into each other outside and end up having cocktails and playing cards until 1:00 a.m. (on a Tuesday!). So that's kinda sad.
I guess I should focus on how nice it is to have friends like them in the first place, though. The kind who will help with your home improvement projects and laugh at your jokes. The kind who will ask you for favors knowing that you'll ask them for a favor of your own at some point. The kind who will go to a Sinead O'Connor concert with you and take your son to baseball games when they have tickets. The good kind.
Monday, June 9, 2008
"Easy Opening."
So I just bought a mouse to use with my laptop. I'm getting better with the built in mouse but sometimes it's still a challenge. Anyway, it's working just fine, but as I was blowtorching my way into the plastic container it came in, I noticed something appauling.
A little red sticker in the top right corner that says "Easy Opening. Just bend corner."
Seriously.... what?! Umm, no. There is NO corner bending. There is NO easy opening. I'm glad the false advertising wasn't what prompted me to buy the product, otherwise I would feel horribly violated. I'm just horrified at the statement. And, for argument's sake, perhaps someone somewhere COULD easy-open-by-bending-corner. Let's say that this is within the realm of possibility. I still label it as false advertising because if a relatively average individual such as myself can't do it, then it probably shouldn't be stated as fact on the packaging.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on "furniture assembled in 3 easy steps." Lol.
A little red sticker in the top right corner that says "Easy Opening. Just bend corner."
Seriously.... what?! Umm, no. There is NO corner bending. There is NO easy opening. I'm glad the false advertising wasn't what prompted me to buy the product, otherwise I would feel horribly violated. I'm just horrified at the statement. And, for argument's sake, perhaps someone somewhere COULD easy-open-by-bending-corner. Let's say that this is within the realm of possibility. I still label it as false advertising because if a relatively average individual such as myself can't do it, then it probably shouldn't be stated as fact on the packaging.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on "furniture assembled in 3 easy steps." Lol.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The "Joy" of grandmas.
I wrote this yesterday on the road and am just now getting it posted..... Lol.
So we went on a road trip today to visit with my husband’s grandmother (who, incidentally, is named Joy). This was the first time that the kids and I had met her.
She was absolutely delightful. It was well worth the 8 hours round trip for the only 4 we got to spend visiting. I look forward to doing it again soon.
Incidentally, today marks the 64th anniversary of D-Day. If I had been thinking about it, I might have asked Grandma Joy what, if anything, she could recall from that time. I’m sure my own grandmother, her senior at the ripe age of 95, would have something to add. Unfortunately I am drafting this blog on the road and my cell battery is dead so I can’t even call to ask.
Speaking of being on the road with a dead cell battery and no WiFi connection in sight, I can’t even check my email or get on the forum to see if I’ve missed anything exciting. This will never do. We are going on a 3 week vacation soon which will include about 4,000 miles of road navigation. I simply MUST find some sort of internet access solution before we head out. I could die from the withdrawals.
test
So we went on a road trip today to visit with my husband’s grandmother (who, incidentally, is named Joy). This was the first time that the kids and I had met her.
She was absolutely delightful. It was well worth the 8 hours round trip for the only 4 we got to spend visiting. I look forward to doing it again soon.
Incidentally, today marks the 64th anniversary of D-Day. If I had been thinking about it, I might have asked Grandma Joy what, if anything, she could recall from that time. I’m sure my own grandmother, her senior at the ripe age of 95, would have something to add. Unfortunately I am drafting this blog on the road and my cell battery is dead so I can’t even call to ask.
Speaking of being on the road with a dead cell battery and no WiFi connection in sight, I can’t even check my email or get on the forum to see if I’ve missed anything exciting. This will never do. We are going on a 3 week vacation soon which will include about 4,000 miles of road navigation. I simply MUST find some sort of internet access solution before we head out. I could die from the withdrawals.
test
