News Post

I'm a pretty avid news reader. One of the first things I'll do when I jump online is head over to CNN.com and read the headlines. There is always something interesting going on. I came across one titled "For Bloggers, Online Ads Beckon". Sounded interesting and I could relate to that. So, I read it and it was good. I didn't really learn anything new from it, but it does mention Pay Per Post and there is also a quote from a Google rep. She mentions how a click from an ad on a corporate site or a click on an ad from an individuals site makes no difference. But, she fails to mention that by dropping everyone's pagerank they have squeezed a lot of us out of paid ads. Which brings me to my next point.

What's with Google's AdSense? Is that not advertising that many of us place on our blogs? Sounds kind of hypocritical to me. I think Google is pissed off because companies like Pay Per Post have butt in and have become the sole source for bloggers to go to and advertise to make money. Google wants AdSense to be top dog, but AdSense is your standard, boring and annoying advertisement. It's not the creative work of people that can relate to the advertisement. They try to relate the ad to your blog by crawling your blog. But, it's not always accurate. A little advice Google, stick with what you do best, crawling the internet for your search engine not my blog.

Help For Understanding Your Finances

Do you ever have those financial questions that you really need to know the answer to but you are not sure where to get that answer? I do, and quite often. Sure you can ask a friend or ask a family member. But, is their answer going to be bias? Are they even going to know the correct answer?

The Internet has become the best resource for such questions. One of the most intuitive sites is Finance Genius. It's in their name! Finance Genius explains financial obligations from Auto Loans, Insurance, Mortgages and even Student Loans. It does not just explain the basics, but they also talk about every type of insurance, refinancing loans and even how your credit score works. The auto section I find very helpful because it not only talks about choosing between a new and used vehicle but it also talks about getting a Used Car Warranty if you should choose a used car.

For those of us that are trying to get our finances in check, are just starting out or God forbid are in deep trouble, check out Finance Genius. It's a guaranteed help.

This is a sponsored post.

Were You Quick or Too Slow?

The link I posted last week for Pinecone Research is no longer available. For those of you that took advantage of this awesome oppertunity, congratulations. For those of you that didn't, sorry.

Stalled Shopping

I haven't even begun to think about what kind of Christmas shopping I have to get done. Yet, Nichole is almost completely done. As I type, she is wrapping up gifts she has bought for me today. But, it makes me sad because I have no idea where to begin. After the disgusting day at the mall today, which I wasn't even scheduled to work but I went in because I need the money, I don't know how much I am going to be able to afford this year. Seriously, it was supposed to be a Friday today and just three weekends before Christmas, yet it was as if it was a Wednesday in the mall. Absolutely ridiculous. Our goal today was $1,286 and we closed at a whopping $486. I wish I didn't have to still work at the mall, but I need that third job. If this is going to be a crappy December, I'll be looking for a new job after the 1st. 

Freebie Found

The freebies have become scarce and very hard to find, but when I find a good one, I jump all over it. In honor of our new puppy, Sammy, I give you this freebie:

Nature's Recipe Devoted Dog Parent Kit

Not only will you receive a sample of Nature's Recipe, but you also get educational videos, a diagnosis wheel, pet relaxation music and informational articles. My personal favorite was the pet relaxation music. I find it hilarious. Can't wait to get it so Sammy can relax to some cool tunes while we are at work.

Making The Extra Buck

Many already know that both my Aunt and myself have quite a few ways of making some extra cash. Not only do we both participate in Pay Per Post, but we also do surveys for several companies. Many of these survey companies give you points to accumulate and once you hit a certain amount you can redeem those points for prizes and even cash. That's what most spring for, the cash. So yeah, I'll do surveys in my free time and get paid. I might be at work doing absolutely nothing, or I might be at home watching TV. Why not get paid? But, anyways, some of the more elite companies will pay you on a survey to survey basis. One of those companies happens to be Pinecone Research. They are one of the best to belong to because they not only pay you on each survey, but they also will send you free products to test! The trick is getting signed up with them. They are so elite that they do not take referrals and there is no signup page that is always available. The trick is finding a banner or link somewhere on the web and clicking it to signup. I happened to find one! So, if you want to make an extra buck, possibly test products and belong to an elite club go here and signup. But, go fast because the page will not be up for long!

Chilly Nights

Just like everyone else, I love this time of year. Two days ago we had a cold front charge through here (Florida). Now a cold front here, just means cooler weather not necessarily cold weather. But, it did get somewhat chilly that night. The first thing I did when I got home was, say hi to Sammy, turn on Christmas radio and light the candles. The air began to fill with the Christmas scents of Yankee Candle. By the time Nichole got home, I was in Christmas pajama pants and sitting comfortably trying to fix the lights on this fake tree we have. (Not our Christmas tree. It will be real.) As the lights on our patio twinkled, we took Sammy for a walk. He had his sweater on and we had our jackets and a cup of hot chocolate. What a pleasant evening it was.

Cool Map Thingy

Many of you may have noticed, and others of you may have not. For those that have not, you are oblivious to your surroundings. Anyways, I have this really cool map at the bottom of my blog that shows where your visitors are visiting from. It's just a cool thing to have and to see where everyone is at. It is interesting to see hits from other countries and makes me wonder if they even know what I am talking about. You can get your own at hip2map.com. 

Posting

Okay, the amount of posts and the frequency of them was all off last month. November was just a busy month for everyone. Now, December is here and we should be back to normal. So, stop by often and see what's up.

Happy Chill Out Days

So far, working the mall this holiday season has not be lucrative. I was hoping Black Friday was going to give me a nice boost in my pay. It ended up being just a bump. Not only Black Friday, but that whole weekend was not what it should have been or what it has been in years past. It's just a combo of gas prices, housing market and for the simple fact that there are no real "must haves" this year. There really isn't. Even though my paychecks are a joke, I'm actually kind of enjoying it. The holidays have always been and always will be a fast paced time of year. Everyone is usually running around trying to keep up with the Jones' and playing catch up, but this year I think people are taking it slowly and doing what they can. I, for one, am taking it each day at a time and I am in no hurry for it to get here. I'd like to kick back, relax and enjoy the season this year. So, who's with me? 

Decorating

Of course it is that time of year when everyone pulls out all the decorations for Christmas. Nichole and I did our place last weekend. Unfortuanetly we do not have a lot. 

Growing up, our house used to get completely converted for the Christmas season. All the normal day to day stuff would be packed up and replaced with all kinds of Christmas knick-knacks. Not to mention that the outside would take a whole weekend to get decorated. It was insane. My Dad and I had to put in a whole line of breakers just to power the light display. But, now that my Dad is converting and I no longer live at their house, the stuff just stays in the attic through the season. Although, I was over there about a week ago and someone was doing some light decorated. I was really surprised.

Anyways, Nichole and I do not have much, but we have some. We did go out and buy some lights to decorate our patio and windows. We will purchase a few things this year to add to it. For Halloween and Thanksgiving we were able to raid my parent's attic and take what we wanted so we had a pretty nice setup for those holidays. But, I dare raid the attic for Christmas because there are literally around 20-25 bins of Christmas stuff. Maybe as it gets closer, I might see what there is and take a few things.

Hey, I Want Those!

How would you like to get 100 FREE business cards that you can customize just to promote your blog? I would. This is a fantastic way to show off your blog to the random people you meet. Of course it is easy to promote your blog online. But, what about the people that you meet at a restaurant, a bar or even at work. Sure, you can write your URL down on a cocktail napkin, but how professional and serious would you look if you whipped out one of your cards. "You know, let me get you one of my cards. Hhmmm, I seem to be fresh out." (wait for it) "BAM!"

For the professional blogger, get over to Ooprint.com and get your 100 blogger cards for FREE!

This is a sponsored post.

Sammy

This is our Sammy. He is a 1 year old Jack Russell Terrier. We got him from an older couple that had moved into our complex and they couldn't take care of him anymore. I went to drop off the mail one night and I saw their flyer hanging on the peg board, "Sammy. 1 Year Old Jack Russell. Neutered and house broken. Loves children. Very playful." They also included some photos of him. 

Nichole and I were talking about getting a dog but we had never actively looked for one. When I saw this I felt like it was the perfect opportunity. I went home to Nichole and I said, "I know I shouldn't be saying this but, there is a puppy that someone in the complex is giving away." I could barely finish my statement before Nichole was jumping up and down and saying, "Can we get him?"

We were so excited that we called on him that night and went over to see him. He was so excited and wasn't too sure about us all at the same time. His previous owner was kind enough to let us take him home that night and see how he interacts with us and the apartment. 

He is the most perfect dog. Being house broken is such a plus. He has never made a mess nor even chew or tear up anything. He isn't a chewer. He hardly even likes Milk Bones. But, he does love his rawhide. My only complaint is he has to sleep in the bed with us and under the covers. Quite the bed hog at times. I'm still getting used to the fur as well, but it's not bad.

As for obtaining the dog we were blessed. His previous owner wanted nothing for him other than to give him a loving home, which he has. She even told us that she couldn't have found a better home for him. As with all apartments we had to put a $300 deposit down for him. No big deal, but we really felt bad for his previous owner. They had just moved into the complex less than a week ago, with the intentions of giving Sammy away, and they had to pay $300 as well. The complex would not give them any kind of refund whatsoever. They wouldn't even transfer the $300 to us. So, unfortunately the couple got screwed out $300 for 5 days. It's a shame.

But, anywho, Sammy is so great and loves attention. I know he'll be jumping up and down and so excited to see me when I go home!

New Addition To The Family

About a week ago Nichole and I added a new member to our family. His name is Sammy and he is the greatest dog ever. He is a Jack Russell Terrior, around 1 year old and already house broken. Can't beat it. Check back in for pictures and more details soon.

Holiday Shopping

We all know I work in the mall from time to time. I'm there right now. Yesterday was Black Friday and we did so so in sales. I'll be honest, there really wasn't that many people in the mall. Not like in years past. No one seems to be having any huge doorbusting sales this year to drawer the crowds. 

I was reading some articles talking about how holiday shopping this year is going to be luke warm and how stores are strugling. I also read some articles, post Black Friday, that were saying some malls opened up at midnight! They are out of their mind. You wouldn't catch me here at that time. They go on to also say that by mid day a lot of shoppers had already left and the crowds started to dwindle because shoppers were burnt out on it. I would totally agree with that at our mall. By mid day it seemed just like a normal weekend. I don't know what's going to happen, but if the trends continue, I forsee a lot stores starting to pull out of the mall. I know we are getting close. Here's to a lousy holiday shopping season! 

Benefits Rock

Okay, I know I haven't blogged in forever. But, don't give me any grief. I've been so busy and tired with work I just haven't had the chance. But, on with my post.

I love Nichole's new job! The hours she works are not only great (banker for those not in the know), but her benefits are fantastic too. Both her and I now have medical insurance and dental (which I haven't had since high school). Time to get those eyes checked. But there's more! She also gets fantastic discounts on theme parks, movie tickets and more. Today, we discovered yet another perk.

A local restaurant manager came into her bank today and invited everyone and their families to a soft opening of their new restaurant and everything was to be complimentary! Not being one to pass up anything for free, we booked our time and went. FREE DINNER!

How fantastic it was. The place is called Flamestone: An American Grill. You can check them out here. The place is owned by a well known, local restauranteur. Not only is the atmosphere gorgeous, even the bathrooms, but the service was superb. Now, whether the service will change once they are officially open, who knows. But, I do know that our waitress was fantastic.

We had some Chardonnay, a watermelon Martini, calamari, both of us had 9oz filet mignons, and for desert we had their awesome "cupcake trio". The grand total came to $78, and it was completely free!

I was really surprised by what they had available for their soft opening. They had every kind of liquor and spirit you could think of, all kinds of wine and huge assortment of meats and entrees. And it was all free. If you live in the area, definitely go and check them out. Nichole and I will absolutely be going back.

Free Stuff

Playtex Personal Cleansing Cloth (lmao)

Degree Deorderant for Men

Huggies Gentle Care Baby Wipes

NutraSweet

Head & Shoulders

Arby's Milk Shake

Arby's Sandwich

Holidays

Everyone has heard it before, "Christmas is nothing more than a consumer holiday and an excuse to spend hoards of money". Some may believe this is true and others may not. But, if you read this, you will find yet another point of view that I find to be quite funny and in many ways , I believe, true.

Weather Or Not

Has anyone else noticed the cooler weather? I know anyone from anywhere north of Georgia has, but I'm talking Florida. It's been beautiful the last couple of days. This morning it was almost cold! It's about time it cooled off around here. Whether this is a fluke or it's here to stay I don't know. I have not had a chance to catch up on my news as of yet.

Speaking of the weather, I believe that the meteorologists in charge of predicting the hurricane season have lost all of their credit. They sucked last year and they continue to suck this year. I remember earlier in the year they were saying this is going to be the most active season yet. I call BS on them! I realize that the activity has been much farther south this year than it has in the past, but we are only on the letter N! N is for Noel. So, they can take their predictions and shove it.

Blog America Tour

The Blog America Tour meeting at the Hard Rock last Thursday was awesome! My Aunt Colleen was able to make but unfortunately my Aunt Cheryl was not. You can read why over here. We met up with Ted, Ashley and their "techie" Travis at the Hard Rock Casino. My overachieving Aunt Colleen brought 100 can goods for the event to give to charity and in return she won an iRobot Roomba automatic "vacuum"! Pretty cool stuff. We ate dinner, thanks to Ted, and gambled a bit. What else did you think we were going to do at a casino? We also talked some blogging business and got a sneak peek at Argus. There was a little bit of filming involved as well. We didn't leave empty handed though. We also got some really cool Izea and Argus swag to take home!