If you’re like me, you love entering these contests. They are fun and give insight to your writing.
This one you can submit to multiple times. I’ve got two I’m writing now that would fit in perfectly. I’m hoping one will get some reaction. I don’t want much, but some feedback would be awesome.
Enter the Deark Lucky Agent Contest.
The deadline is looming! It ends Sunday, June 26, 2011, EST. So hurry!
Vapamore has a new handheld cleaner available. The vapor steam cleaner, wet and dry vacuum, is so portable and easy to use. The MR-50 can clean pet stains and party spills in a snap.
This is totally like a miniature version of their larger floor model, except it has added features and it is more useful for small spills and clean up jobs.
This little machine has three functions:
Wet Steam
Dry Steam
Vacuum
Now it’s best if you watch the video before you use so you can be sure to use it properly and to use it for exactly what you need it for.
Now it’s a little heavy, and when you turn it on, it is noisy, but there’s a lot of goodness going on in this machine.
When you flip the switch, depending on which mode you put it in, you’ll need to wait a few seconds for the system to heat up if you are trying to use steam mode. This machine will vacuum up spills, steam clean a spot on the rug (that pet stain?) and will let you do it quickly.
And it’s kind of cute.
It comes with a handful of parts: 
There’s a squeegee type thing, and a brush to help scrub a little. You don’t really need to scrub, the vapor does the most work, but it’s to move carpet fibers so you can get the steam down into the base of the stain or spill.
And then there’s a cup for refilling and a a filter for the vacuum part.
The MR-50 features three operation modes: wet steam for deep stains, dry steam for general cleaning, powerful wet-dry vacuum.
The vacuum will suck up liquid spills or little bits and pieces. It also dry steams your floor or carpet for stains you have before they set in. Use the wet steam to take care of old or deep stains.
We’ve used it here to collect up spills and to test out on the carpet. There’s no chemicals involved, it’s just pure steam power. You know it’s pretty safe for carpets if it’s just water. The steam breaks up the stain and the vacuum part lifts it out.
Likes:
It is powerful. It does the job. It’s amazing to watch. For small spills and stains (like that you find under the fridge or behind the door that you never noticed before) it’s pretty perfect and you don’t have to drag the big vapor steam cleaner out.
Wishlist:
It is a tiny bit loud, and a little bulky. Other than that, it’s a pretty simple process.
As a tribute, the Cajun and I made up a little video to show off our new toy. (It’s meant to be funny!)
This unit can be purchased at many places online like Amazon and other vendors. It’s around $150, which is actually on par with the high quality handheld models.
Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!
Felicia Day – Geek, Gamer, Actress
Felicia updates readers on new videos, book reviews and some crazy antics from being an actress/producer of her own online web series. She’s enjoyable to follow, not only in her blog, but also her tweets.
Not only does she write about her upcoming books, but she also blogs for fellow writers who want to get in publishing, PLUS home life, quilts and more.
The next one is Jackson Pearce. She does mostly vlogs, but that counts as a blog. Yes, it does.
Here’s her latest.
What I love about here, outside of the fact that she’s another writer, is that she’s funny and bubbly and reminds me a lot of me. She has way more interests than just writing books and talking about them. 
Which is awesome.
Other favorites include Miss Snark, Dooce, GTLA (Agent Website for Writers), plus I like weird blogs like Eating on $1 a Day.
I believe I like my movies just like I like my TV shows, movies and books. Quirky, funny, and unique spins.
This list totally doesn’t include all of the blogs I read, or even part of them. But leave a link to your blog or your favorite blog in the comments.
Not that the guys don’t deserve attention. I just tried to narrow things down a tiny, tiny bit. And yes, I’m biased.
What makes a great blog for you? I know there are a lot of celebrity bloggers. I think Twitter accounts count as a blog too, don’t they? And so do vlogs, like Jackson’s blog.
Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.
The Remington® Studio Style 30 Piece Professional Haircut Kit
Get customized, modern looks and traditional hairstyles quickly and easily!
Cordless, rechargeable clipper gives a quick and easy way to get professional-looking hairstyles at home
Features the world’s first neckliner accessory to easily create straight necklinesGet customized, modern looks and traditional hairstyles quickly and easily! This cordless, rechargeable clipper gives you a quick and easy way to get professional-looking hairstyles at home and features the world’s first neckliner accessory to easily create straight necklines.
Professional clipper with Titanium; for longer lasting, durable performance
Ceramic coated, self-sharpening blades
Ergonomic comfort grip; rubberized for added control
Professional motor; cuts through even the thickest hair
Washable; for quick and easy cleaning
Storage case; to help keep everything organized
Full color how-to style guide
$31.99 at remingtonproducts.com
Review:
As you can tell, the Cajun shaved his head. In the video, you can see the clipper he used, which came from Remington. (Thanks!)
He’s used it several times since he made this video, and has continued to work well. He’ll use different clippers for when he wants it longer or shorter, depending.
The cordless option is fantastic, so we can stretch it out to the shower, if needed, and he can buzz his head pretty quickly. Once he’s done, he can reach to put it on the counter and then rinse off in the shower.
So much better than getting hairs all over the place.
The video was fun to make, mostly thanks to the Cajun being nice enough to do almost every bit of it. (I held the camera and giggled.)
Here’s a before picture:
What’s the benefit? Saving money every month getting a hair cut, versus paying for this and doing it yourself. Yeah, that’s worth buying.
If you crop your hair like this.
It’d probably look silly on me.
Don’t even think about it, Cajun.
I love LastPass, so when Digitwirl did a video on my favorite password saver, I just have to share it.
By the way, Digitwirl is also a nice website that does video reviews of products and services as well. Pretty geek.
She has some pretty bright videos. I’m hoping to do my own versions soon. We’ve worked on some and we’re hoping to bring those to you soon. (Us meaning the Cajun and I.)
Since Easter is coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to get the kids to think, not just try to find the eggs I hid in the grass. (And this way I keep track of all the eggs in the yard and where they are, so none are leftover for dogs to swallow or kids to find months later.)
With the little one, I drew a map.
This was pretty easy, and the little girl is five so it’s something awesome for her. It’s too simple for an older kid, but just right for egg hunting. The eggs do not have to be exactly where you show, just around the area you’ve put the egg.
This is a great exercise, too, because this little girl in particular is always losing things, and needs a little practice looking for stuff.
For older kids, we’ve got an 11 year old, and the simple “hide the egg and hope he finds it, even if it’s cleverly hidden” may still be too easy. So this year, I sought help online, checking for clues to use.
Here’s some:
Bright like diamonds, hard like rock, I’m crushed or cubed or solid block.
(Ice)
With a single foot and a single head, I hold one body, alive not dead.
(Bed)
Insert, shift, and number four are keys that can’t unlock a door. I hold all these and many more.
(Computer)
A crystal ball in modern day, see men at war or kids at play. Spaceships fly and empires fall, just come to me, I show them all.
(Television)
The only place in the world where Saturday comes before Thursday.
(Dictionary)
Not rain, nor sleet, nor snow can stop this message you know.
(Mailbox)
Some take me in the morning; others take me in the evening. But one thing you should know, that when I am taken, I do not go.
(Shower/Bath)
No mouth, but I drink. No legs, but I run. No wood, but I spark. My uses are serious or fun.
(Car)
I grow when I eat, but die when I drink.
(Fire/Fireplace — in our case the grill)
My arms get as skinny as a pencil, my torso as thick as a stuffed coat. I reach really high, and I am made of something that floats.
(Tree)
In addition, I included a few other clues. In the Ice one, he’d go to look in the Ice tray, where he’d find a piece of ice with a frozen leaf inside. I’ll have it hidden inside the Easter egg, so he can tell the clue is for him. He’ll have to melt the leaf, and then go match the leaf with the trees and bushes outside to figure out which plant is the one he needs to look around.
Obviously I can’t hide an egg in a dictionary, so I’ve left another clue inside the dictionary pointing to the clue, kumquat, so he knows he needs to look near the kumquat tree.
The Cajun and I also found some really awesome camouflage eggs.
So this should be a great Easter egg hunt, something a little different.
Here’s how I organized setting up his egg hunt:
I started with finding some clues online, and making up some clever ones of my own.
I sorted the Easter eggs, and started with the first one, with the first clue.
I kept notes, writing down each egg as I assigned it a clue, and a flow chart with what the next clue lead to, what color the egg was, and what clue was inside that egg.
Some eggs lead to clues that weren’t inside an egg, just another clue, those I made pretty obvious, so he wasn’t spending too much time looking for an egg that wasn’t there.
I was tempted to use some code, so sometimes I drew pictures instead of writing a clue.
But from there, I started with the first one, going from one through however many there are. So I have a list of all the eggs and where they are, and it ensures all the egg clues flow together well.
I hope that makes sense. I might try scanning my flow chart and letting folks in on the whole event after.
It’s finally spring break here at my house. Time to take a breather. I decided I was finally going to finish three books this summer, and I’m starting this week to get a head start for May.
Next week I have my last few days of class and the week after will be final exams. Last year, I was sick with the flu. I fully blame the Cajun for that. He was sick first. And then breathed on me.
But this year, I got a cold on spring break. (Yay, sick on spring break instead of finals! That’s what every kid wants!)
So we just got a Nook, the color version. We’re both fighting over it, of course.
We found a deal on Craig’s List this time for it. We had been thinking about buying one. And then we were checking out tablets instead of e-readers, but we couldn’t decide.
We like it so far, but we’re having trouble connecting it to our wireless network. At the Cajun’s mom’s house, it’s fine. Here, it’s not fine. I’ve fiddled with buttons in the router and tried updating the software (only one update for the Nook so far?) and that didn’t help.
Honestly, I haven’t spent a long time reading on it yet. The color screen looks sharp, and he dug reading a free National Geographic (a trial issue from Barnes and Noble). I have more questions about it though, like if it’s going to be comfortable reading for hours on end. 
Looks pretty, though, doesn’t it?
Will probably show it off in a video soon.
Well with final exams showing up, I’m not really over studying. I’m really just writing. 20,000 words into a 75,000 revision, and going pretty strong. I had a weak morning today and dawdled a lot, but still managed to sink in 1,500 words. Not bad, but with any luck this will be done by the end of May, and on to book two.
Yes, I’m in forum self ban mode now. Three months without typing a word in a forum. The blog being my only place to voice my opinion and thoughts. It’s hard to resist, because there’s so many great folks in forums that are all too helpful and fun. Unfortunately,the forums are also hideously addictive.
As for final exams, I’ve studied all year and I’ve done my homework. With any luck, I don’t completely fail them all and I might even make a B in accounting.
Ooooh accounting teacher with your wild grading patterns. How I love the thought of answering the last question on the exam and walking out the door. At least for the summer.
After that, it’s writing, writing… oh hey, there’s cookies on the counter.
I may be late to this party, but I must say, this is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. I’ve been ambling through many Masterpiece Theater classics and so forth for a while. I’m fond of the old Jane Austen adaptations.
Downton Abbey tells about a family without a son for an heir and the misgivings of the entire family about what to do. Lots of emotion, intrigue, mystery and the whole cast is nothing less than touching.
It starts in 1912, just after the sinking of the Titanic, when a family realizes the only male heir to the estate went down with the ship. Scrambling for the security and stability of the household, both the aristocratic family and the servants are ensnared.
When I realized it was left with almost a cliffhanger at the end, I nearly threw a book at the TV. I was scared that was the end to it all and there was no conclusion. I researched it and the PBS website has claimed they picked it up for a second season.
We’re delighted with the audience response to Downton Abbey and the positive critical reaction. We’re extremely proud to have commissioned a series which has clearly captivated ITV1 viewers. Consequently, we’re thrilled to be announcing the recommission of a new series for 2011 which will allow us to spend more time with the Crawley family and their servants.
— Laura Mackie, ITV Director of Drama Commissioning
They have already begun filming for the second season, which was supposed to have started in March. Hopefully it will be ready as planned for the release in Autumn 2011 with a Christmas special to come after.
*Squeeeeeeeee!*
I honestly can’t pick a favorite character. Even that horrible Thomas, as much as they get you to hate him, you keep hoping someone will hit him hard enough to straiten up.
The series is available on Netflix right now. Do watch it or buy the DVD series. I plan on doing so soon, as I don’t think I want to give up this series any time soon.
Forgive me if I squeal more as the new series approaches. Expect it.
Bates has to be one of the most enjoyable of the characters. None are worth missing, but John Bates’ mystery of his past was something I was so hoping to learn more about. I will be awaiting the fall season with fervor.
Self banning is actually a very nice thing to do. It sounds horrible, because most people think of banning as being rejected from a forum.
Now many writers (and I assume other folks) are self banning themselves in order to get work done, finish a book, or simply take a break.
I spend a lot of time in various forums across the web *waves to forum buddies* but summer is coming along soon.
And I want to finish three books, one a month.
The only way I can possibly do that is to self ban. No more forums or random internet-ing for a month. I have online work to do, limited to 4 – 5 hours a day. Otherwise it’s going to be BIC and write or die.
Hopefully not die. I’ve grown fond of breathing.
To prepare for a self ban, I may be slowly weaning myself from forums (is that possible?) and spending a lot of time on outlines. I’m totally not an outline-type person, but to keep myself on track, I’m going to go against my nature.
Talking about future plans is about as enjoyable as listening to someone explain their dreams. I know, as mildly interesting as it is, it doesn’t apply to everyone.
But I’ve heard of others either doing self bans from forums or the internet altogether. I can’t avoid the internet completely, but I’ll step back for a while.
Hopefully with a handful of blog posts. Maybe keeping an online record of word counts and what’s going on here.
This is Scott Harrison. He founded Charity: Water.
This charity helps to dig wells and find sources for clean water in the most rural areas around.
As most people wonder, is it a worthwhile charity? Will my money go to helping people, or funding CEO pockets.
100% of donated money goes to building wells and getting water to people.
100%.
I don’t know of another charity that does this.
How do they fund their staff? Through grants and sponsorships from some corporations. It doesn’t come from donations specifically for well building.
Find out more by checking out this video.
Scott Harrison – charity: water from Big Omaha on Vimeo.
I think it would be perfect if Scott Harrison could team up with Michael Pritchard of LifeSaverSystems.com.
Please support clean water efforts. Help eliminate a lot of the health problems around the world. There’s several ways to help out, either through supporting Charity: Water or LifeSaverSystems.com.
You do not have to give money in order to help support people and give away clean water.
Sign up for supporting websites, like CrowdTap. Earn money and free stuff, and let 5% of what you earn go to charity. Get a lot, give a little and make your charity of choice Charity: Water.
