My post today on ties is about the tie or noose that technology has around my neck. I'm sure y'all can relate at least a little.
I want to start with a story about this blog to prove my point. At the beginning of the month I got excited about the possibility of blogging more due to the abundance of time I have at my current job. So I started writing and writing and writing; it was like I couldn't stop because the muse was with me. This lead to an abundance of blogs. So I set them up to be distributed throughout the upcoming week and was excited that I may keep up this month's NaBloPoMo. I let the blog sit, relying on Google's technology to properly post my blogs. Much to my surprise I got a comment with a wonderful note about not being disheartened about not making NaBloPoMo and to keep up the writing. I became furious that all that work just sat there and I had failed due to my complete reliance on technology. (Fear not Andi I will keep writing.)
I let technology rule my life 24/7. I set my BlackBerry alarm to wake me up every day even though I have an alarm clock right next to my bed. Everywhere I go I check in on foursquare. I Twitter, I FaceBook and now I Buzz. My laptop travels everywhere in my car with me. Someone says they are unsure of a fact, BAM! I Wikipedia it. Someone talks about a restaurant in the area but can't remember the name, BAM! I Google it. I just can't help not knowing when the answer is easily available. I have turned around after being halfway to work (a 45min drive) because I forgot my phone, and what the heck would I do WITHOUT MY BLACKBERRY!
My wife suggested I give up texting for Lent this year and I laughed at her because I don't really text that much. I know it looks that way but I'm almost always checking Twitter or FaceBook, leaving comments, emailing, tweeting, posting pictures and sometimes even blogging.
Everything I do, everywhere I go there is some form of unnecessary technology that grabs me. I really don't think I would have a quality life without these things. Maybe it's because I am an attention whore, maybe it's because I have an addictive personality or maybe it's just because we live in an age where all this is possible and I want to take advantage of it all. Whatever it is, I just don't want to be without my BlackBerry or an internet connection.
So I just submitted myself to
NaBloPoMo for the month of February. The theme for this month is "Ties." Neck ties, your ties with the world, knot ties and I'm pretty sure Alex P. Keaton can even be a topic...
This is a stretch for me and I'm not really sure I can make it. I've been pretty down lately and I don't know if I can find enough to blog about let alone a theme. Ah well I'm gonna try my best and if I can make this one it would be an accomplishment seeing as I've never finished a NaBloPoMo yet. Wish me luck and I'll see you tomorrow with my first post on Ties!
A lot has changed since my last update. I am working for a new company; worse hours, less pay but 100% more respect. My current position is only temporary as I am holding on for the new year and a huge promotion from soldier to commander. Just waiting on the current commander to step down and to get trained. It's an honest company with a lot of potential that just needs a swift kick in the right direction. I hope to provide a leg for said kick. So for now I just need to grin and bear it.
V is looking for a position with a firm and although I can see it gets overwhelming for her sometimes I know she is strong enough to come out on top. She is smart and resilient and I'm positive she will do just fine.
As soon as V gets in somewhere we are going to start looking for a home. That is super exciting for me because I've always wanted to own a home and it will provide V and I with a place to grow a family. I've seen the struggle my parents went through to get their home and how long it took them to get it and I feel lucky to be even thinking about it at this point in my life.
Well I hope everyone out there is doing fantastic and I hope to be more active in my blog and the blogging community as this new gig gives me a lot of time to sit and stare at the walls aka blog/blackberry time.
So I got drunk and picked a winner on Friday of they got back to me making it official, Nikki of
Tales from my Second City is the Poken winner! Nikki is an awesome blogger and a great Chicago implant. I am glad to see she won as she is a Panda-holic and and will make good use of the Poken.
For those of you who liked the Poken and would like to get one of your own,
Andi has created a discount code for my 100th blog post celebration for you to use.
BEAVEXN19Y8DR will get you a discount at
Andi's Poken Store! Isn't she awesome!
It has taken me a long time to get to this point. I am not exactly the most steady blogger of all time but I never really thought that I would ever continue this long and cover so much of my thoughts and life in this blog. I am proud that I hit the 100 mark and I hope to hit 200 in a much quicker time frame.
Like I had said before there was going to be a giveaway when I hit my 100th post. The great Andi at
Misadventures with Andi was the first contact I had with the blogging world who I felt knew me as much as I knew them. Andi gave me a Voodoo Poken as a gift when she opened her online shop
Got To Buy Me A Poken and being as awesome as she is, she gave me one to give to a friend. So as you can see, this is a perfect circle from newbie to 100 and I've had the pleasure of both involving Andi.
If you don't know what a Poken is, it's this little social media RFID thingamajig that let's you share your contact information with your friends and new aquantiances. They are fanfreakingtastic. I have my blog, my twitter and my facebook linked up to it allowing me to instantly and easily transfer my data to anyone with a Poken. You simply have your Poken Hi 4 your friends and you have all thier info and they have yours. It connects via USB and your contacts Poken Cards are in your virtual roledex at
doyoupoken.com. I am actually surprised that as many people in Chicago have Pokens.. Pokei? (whatever the plural is...) as I they do. Now when I meet new people I simply ask "Do you Poken?"
Now for the contest. I am giving away the Panda Poken one of the coolest there is. Simply comment on any one of my blogs and your entered! If you commented a year ago your still entered! Also if you retweet the contest you are entered a second time! [ RT @jbeave Beave's Poken Givaway! Want to get your hands on a Poken? Retweet to enter! http://bit.ly/QaB5Q #Poken ]
Good luck everyone!!
The contest ends
Thursday July 9th at 11:59pm. I will draw the winner Friday July 10th. The winner will be contacted via email or Twitter DM. If I don't hear from the winner within a few days another winner will be drawn.
That is such a sad word, but that is what I have done with this blog. Total neglect, to the point where more people than I have subscribers have asked me what happened to me (makes me feel all special and crap.) I've just been keeping myself busy with classes and work.
The spring rugby season is over even though I missed the last bit from injury and the bachelor party. I have definitely fallen in love with playing that game. As soon as my knee is 100% I am gonna go and practice with the seven's squad to get in better shape and learn so when I play next spring I will be a force to reckon with.
Work is work and I think that it has lost some of it's luster, but I still enjoy what I do and who I do it with. Just not necessary who I do it for as much as I used to due to some recent management changes.
14 days till one of my very best friends gets married and I'm the best man for that one. I am super excited for them! C & M are two of the best people I have ever known and are totally made for each other. Although I don't know how he managed to land her in the first place, she is way outta his league... hahahaha!
Also! If you managed to read through all the boring personal crap I just wrote I'm having a Fantasticular giveaway for my 100th post! I will hint you into the awesomeness of what it is by the that time but for now you have to wait and see.
"We want to reunite people with their memories, not profit off of people's memories"Have you ever lost your camera and been more upset that you lost those memories than about the expensive camera they were taken in? Have you ever found someone's camera, memory stick or film and wondered how you could ever possibly get them back? Well
Cavy tweeted about this great blog where someone is connecting orphan pictures with their rightful homes.
Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures is an amazing blog that posts every Thursday with a new collection of lost photos. They even broke it down to where the photos were found to make it easier for the owner to track down theirs.
So did you find a lost camera or memory card? Email at least four photos from your found camera and include any other details, time, location, school, etc. It's that easy to save someone's heartache!
Make sure to bookmark
Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures in case you ever come across someone's photos!
I my quest to become a better, stronger, healthier
me, I am taking my old recipes and turning them healthy. I will be sharing all of my recipes on my new blog
Beave's Kitchen. Every few days I'll post a new super healthy but super tasty recipe.
Check it out and tell me if it needs more salt.
No it's not gibberish, it stands for
National Blog Posting Month. NaBloPoMo is a website for bloggers who want to take on the challange of blogging for an entire month. It is practiced all year long by the site but November is the "official" month.
I want to blog more and have been trying lately so I figured what the hell I'm always up for a challange. The problem is I useually don't finish what I start. Which is funny because my mom tells me about when I was young and got mad at my playmates about not finishing a coloring book page before starting another. So here goes, I am blogging at least once a day, including weekends and holidays for 30 days.
