Interview Tag

I was nervous to sit down with World Renowned Reporter, ^*Megan.
 

 
She looked like she meant business when she sat down with her notepad in hand.
 
I only hoped I’d be up for the questions she would pose.
 
MEGAN: If you could travel to one place in the world and you had to leave today, where would you be headed and why?
 
ME: Oh my gosh, I have to leave right now? I’m not even packed! I guess I’d better fly to Los Angeles and hope my sister can pick me up. I might be able to fit into some of her clothes. Oh heck, I’ve got charge cards. Sure, I’m ready. Where’s my ride?
 
MEGAN:No, you insolant boob. It was merely a hypothetical question. Care to try again?
 
ME: Oh, ok. Anywhere in the world….
 
MEGAN: Tick tock, Jean. Step it up.
 
ME: You know what? I’m still gonna say my sister’s house. She just recently moved, and I haven’t even seen the place. So, yes, I think I’ll fly into Los Angeles.
 
MEGAN: Fine. Good. Los Angeles. Next question: What are your talents, and what are some of the areas in which you wish you had talent but do not?
 
ME: I think I’m talented with PhotoShop. I can also google really quickly to get answers to my husband’s obscure questions. I pretty successfully juggle being a Mom, a wife, and a business owner. I wish I could ride a horse. Naw, I don’t really wish that! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!! My husband would wish that for me! I wish my talent was getting in shape and staying there. Does that qualify?
 
MEGAN: Sure, that qualifies. I’m sure you speak for many who wish they had the talent of … ahem… health. ::: rolls eyes ::: Next question: What do you love the most about your life and why?
 
ME: I love the flexibility of my work schedule!! Love, love, love it! Seriously, I work about 2 weeks out of the month. I’m a graphic designer, and create (or change) ads one week. The next week I put on my publisher hat, and get our magazines ready to print. So, during my off-time, I get to spoil my children with lots of attention! Plus, we work out of our house, so we, Tom & the kids and I, have a lot of quality time together.
 
MEGAN: Finally, I think you’re letting us see the real you! Question number 4: What are you most afraid of?
 
ME: I hope this doesn’t sound silly, but my biggest fear is home invasion. I check all the doors each night, and make sure the gates are closed. I check on my daughters in their beds. I just want us all to be safe, in our home. It’s a scary world out there, and a shame these thoughts have to enter my head.
 
MEGAN: Amen. Ok, let’s end on a lighter note. My final question is, what is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
 
ME: Just one? I’ve got a few. Hard to narrow ’em down. Let’s see… Well, for starters, I was in high school, but away on a debate tournament. There were a whole bunch of us sitting around, laughing and joking. Well, one guy was SO FUNNY, I literally lost control of my bladder! I had to run to the bathroom and freshen up as best I could. Another time, I was on a date. The guy and I had decided to snuggle in the back of his car. I must have been tired, and fell asleep. Know what woke me up? The sound of my own fart!
 
MEGAN: I’m afraid that’s all we have time for, Jean. Thank you.
 
If you’d like to be interviewed, please say Interview Me in the comments. I will send you five questions specific to you.
 
^*Megan is a lovely friend who no longer blogs. This post was originally published February 8, 2008 on MySpace.

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Found Montana in Arizona

On Wednesday, my youngest daughter, Pearl, and I ventured to Lake Havasu City to see Montana Lady Golfer. Montana and I have been friends on MySpace and Facebook for about a year.
 
Montana gave us a warm welcome, jumping up & down and giving us hugs upon arrival. Once inside her lovely home, Montana served my favorite wine (sauvignon blanc), crackers, and an assortment of delicious cheeses! I hand delivered a package of fruits & cheese to Montana from her 2009 Secret Santa. Montana was so pleased and said it was the perfect gift.
 
Ever so thoughtful, Montana carefully opened a fishing game and challenged Pearl to a round. Pearl mopped the floor with her, but our host may have thrown the game.

Time to hop into Montana’s convertible and drop her hubby off at the golf course. Then we girls were off for Fast Food and Shopping.

Pearl loves McDonalds, and was excited to have an Alvin & The Chipmonks Happy Meal. We took the scenic route to the new mall, and Montana spoiled Pearl with a Deluxe Bead Kit and 3 smaller bead sets from Michael’s.
 
A leisurely drive across the London Bridge led us to The Naked Turtle for beach time!

We found a few shells & pretty rocks, and got our tootsies wet. It was a beautiful day with temps in the high 60’s. Something about playing on the beach makes you hungry. The Beach Bar was undergoing some renovations, but the restaurant upstairs was open. Wow is their food GOOD!! We shared orders of calamari and fish & chips while Pearl had an ice cream sundae.

This day just FLEW by! It was nearly 5pm, and we had to pick up Montana’s hubby from the golf course. I hope he had a good day!
 
Montana wrapped up some shish-kebobs for Pearl and I to take home. We were running out of daylight, and my hubby and eldest daughter were at home awaiting on return.
 
Natalie and Pearl are still having a GREAT time making bracelets & necklaces. Tom and I are grilling the kebobs tonight!
 
 
• Have you been to Lake Havasu?
• Do you let children beat you at games?
• What’s on your shish-kabob?
 

Best Post of the Week

 
I received the Best Post of the Week award from Purple Hatter (talented artist and creator of this award) and Doraz (whose positive attitude will consistently lift your spirits). Thank you both!
 
Here are the rules that accompany this award:
1.) The award recipient cannot accept this award ever again.
2.) The award must be passed to 3 other blogs within 1 week.
 
I will present this award to bloggers within the MySpace community and those in the WordPress community.
 
BEST POST OF THE WEEK – WordPress
 
Gary’s World for Snuggie Envy.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Girl from the Ghetto for Lamest New Year’s Eve Ever contest.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mai Laws for Another reason why I hate Nirvana.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BEST POST OF THE WEEK – MySpace
 
Bewitched for I’ve got feet that dingle dangle dingle.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Poot for It’s all Amy’s fault.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Nicole for Funniest Sitcom Character: Archie vs. Raymond.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
If you need a chuckle today, be sure to check out these posts. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Blog-Hosting Sites

I’d like to thank Bruce for inspiring this blog.

MySpace
I signed up for MySpace in December of 2006, not sure what all the hype was about. I browsed forums, viewed profiles, sent friend requests, and wondered, “What am I missing?” Then I stumbled upon THE BLOGS. That was it! Entertainment, photos, opinions, it was all here for my enjoyment! I lurked, I commented, and I cared about my new friends. Before long, I posted my first blog.

Nearly 3 years later, with 279 blogs under my belt, I have a couple hundred readers, and subscribe to over 100 blogs. There is such a feeling of community! We read each other’s blogs, comment and pimp.

Pros:

1) Sense of community.
2) The Manage Blog feature allows you to view your blog hits and your readers.
3) Your subscriptions [can] appear in the left column of your blog.

Cons:
1) 2,000,000 kudos can be given, launching blogs into the top categories.

Thanks, Amanda! You’re so right! MySpace allows for so much creativity. Facebook’s 1 photo per note maximum is so minimal, and WordPress charges an annual fee for Video hosting.

Facebook

As with anything new, I jumped in and said, “Now what?” When you create your Facebook account, it will ask permission to access your email address book. Once it has processed the information, it will suggest you add the friends it has found. You can also manually search for friends, family, co-workers, former classmates, etc. Most likely, their profiles will be set to private. You will be allowed to view their thumbnail avatar and possibly thumbnails of their friends. You must be friends with them to view their profile, otherwise known as their Wall.
Those looking to blog may be disappointed. In lieu of blogs, Facebook has Notes. Type your note, insert up to 1 photo, tag your friends, and post your note.

Thanks, Sherri! You’ll have to show me how to do that.

Pros/Cons:

1) There is a limit to how many friends you can tag. I’m thinking it’s 20 (correct me if I’m wrong). Those friends will be notified of your post.
Update: It’s 30. Thanks Laurie aka BrownSugar!
2) Your note may appear in a live feed which is constantly updated on your friends’ home page. So, even if you have not tagged them, they may eventually discover your note.
3) There is no Note community.
4) Notes are not ranked.
5) Your note may receive a comment or a thumbs up from your friends.

Blogger
I created a Blogger profile in May of 2009. I have averaged 10 profile views per month.

Pros:
1) You can sign up for AdSense to get paid for clicks of ads that appear on your page.
2) There is a link at the top of the blogs labeled Next Blog. Clicking on it will lead you to the most recent content posted on Blogger.
3) You can add other Blogger-hosted sites to your Blogroll (list of subscriptions.)

Cons:
1) There can be explicit content on Blogger. You can report or flag a blog, but I do not know what steps are taken by Blogger about the content.
2) There is no Blogger-wide search feature.
3) There is no way to know who has read or subscribed unless they comment or inform you of their subscription.

WordPress.com
I also established my WordPress blog in May. The Dashboard displays Page Hits (my avg = 250/mo), your Top Posts, Search Engine Terms (words used to find your blog), Referrers (links people clicked to get to your page), and more. Here is a screenshot of my Dashboard Stats.

Dashboard Stats

Pros:
1) The Dashboard! (See above.)
2) There is a site-wide search feature.
3) There is also a link at the top of the blogs labeled Next Blog. Clicking on it leads you to the most recent content posted on WordPress.
4) There’s a nifty option called Tag Surfer. Specify key words, and when new blogs are posted with these tags, they appear in your Tag Surfer tab.
5) If a site has been flagged “Mature” (adult content), you will be given the choice to enter.
6) There is lots of help through the Forums and Support.
7) There is a list of Hot 100 Blogs for VIPs (such as CNN and People) and the WordPress Community.
8) You can add WordPress-hosted blogs to your Blogroll (list of subscriptions).
9) Through Widgets (add ons), non-Wordpress links can appear on your profile.

Cons:
1) While using the Next Blog feature, you may find adult content that has not been flagged. (You can report it.)
2) You will not be made aware of subscribers to your site.

LOL! Lee, how could I have forgotten to mention blogging’s addictive side! They should come with a warning.

• What is your take on blog-hosting sites?
• Which is your favorite, and why?
• Which is your least favorite, and why?

Thanks for reading!