With Twitter becoming such a powerful force on the social media scene, there are those who get it and those who don't get it. There's a certain number of the "don't get it" crowd who will invariably take an outright aggressive posture and make a statement like this... "Twitter is a waste of time. Who cares what you had for breakfast?" Many on Twitter will hem and haw about the content of the question, almost... Continue Reading

Did you feel it? It was just a tremor, but the effects are global. In fact, I'll say this... The world just got smaller. Alright, Joel. WHAT are you talking about? Continue Reading

I boarded my flight from Dallas to return to Denver yesterday morning, hungry and certain that my first class seat would get me some sort of meal. As I boarded the plane, I asked the flight attendant if there would be food service. He informed me that there would not be and I quietly expressed my disappointment. I didn't really ASK for food, but I did make it known that I was hungry. Continue Reading

I've got a pretty colorful past. I got my first job when I was fourteen-years old, working behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant at Northbrook Court shopping mall in Northbrook, Illinois. After all, I needed to save up money to buy a TRS-80 Model I computer from Radio Shack! Once I acquired my driver's license, I worked in the health & beauty department at Venture. Yes, I was a stockboy. At the age of... Continue Reading

So I've got this great idea for a screenplay. The story goes like this... Due to severe beatings she had received as a child, a thirty-something year old woman develops a strange phobia and doesn't leave the bathroom for two years. I know, bizarre, yes? It gets more interesting. The woman spends the majority of her time on the toilet. Yes, on the toilet. In fact, she spends SO much time on the toilet that... Continue Reading

I love living in Colorado. Ever since I moved my family here in February of 2007, I really can't imagine living anywhere else. I love the mountains. I love the change of seasons. I love zero humidity. And I've met some really great people here. But there's one thing that is still lacking... Continue Reading

Before we left Oklahoma, we used to eat at Moe's, a tex-mex fast food joint. It was pretty good. I especially liked the way they trained their staff to yell out "Welcome to Moe's!' every time someone walked in the front door. It made for a friendly environment where they recognized every customer on every visit. As a sidebar, Moe's only played music featuring dead musicians in their restaurant. Interesting... But when we moved to... Continue Reading

I know I am opening myself up to criticism for this post, but it's been on my mind and I really just want to put it out there. I dislike the way multi-level marketing has been done by many companies. I don't dislike multi-level marketers, mind you (well, most of them anyway). I just think that business model has proven destructive to many individuals and families. Continue Reading

*** This just in! *** Actually, TWO things just came in. Please read both items carefully... 1) I JUST received an email from John Reese, the Internet marketing legend who created the now-famous Traffic Secrets course. When this course came out, it was considered pricey, and somewhat out of reach for people. Don't get me wrong... At $997 it was worth EVERY penny. But STOP THE PRESSES! John just told me that his inventory is... Continue Reading

I was on the phone with Armand Morin last night, and I've been thinking about something he said ever since. We talked about the great ebooks that are out there... We talked about some of the cool software tools that are now available... And of course, we talked about AdSense. But here's what he said that stuck with me. Continue Reading

Everything has changed. I remember when I first discovered computers. I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer. I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard... Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-) Oh, those were the days. Continue Reading

I am currently in the Nation's Capitol for an Internet marketing conference and I am the victim of a crime, even a felony. It happened while I slept. I was robbed and left for naked... and didn't even know it until late in the afternoon. Amazingly, there isn't a bruise on my body. Nor have I lost any material possessions. So what happened? Read on... Continue Reading

I’m always going on about the importance of great content. I don’t apologize for that. You can have ad units that are perfectly optimized, blended completely into your site and packed with high-paying ads. But if your content’s garbage, no one’s going to click on them because no one’s going to come to your site. I meet so many people who dream of getting rich with AdSense but never give a thought for building a... Continue Reading

We live in a reciprocal Universe. All of us are trained at a very young age to take. Hopefully, we are also trained to give. Give and take. Someone asks you how you are doing... ... and you ask them how they are doing. Someone gives you a gift... ... and you are more likely to give them a gift in the future. Give and take. That's the way the Universe operates. Continue Reading

I feel a rant coming on. Yes, it is time for "Joel's pet peeve". So what's my beef today? It's fast food restaurants that treat you like a second class citizen if you request water instead of a soft drink by giving you a special cup for your water. And this cup is different than the regular soft drink cup. It's always smaller than the smallest soft drink size. Continue Reading

I've been home from Kauai long enough to really begin missing it. The island and resort were so beautiful. It was difficult to come home. We spent the week at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club in Lihue. It was a top-notch resort with gorgeous surroundings, an enormous swimming pool and a nice beach tucked away in Kalapaki Bay. Palm trees, tropical breezes and the sounds of crashing surf... ah... Continue Reading

I like the food at The Cracker Barrel. It's usually pretty good, whether we go there for breakfast or dinner. They have done a great job of positioning themselves as the "Old Country Store", a combination restaurant/retail shop, where every store is positioned on a major U.S. interstate. And every store looks virtually the same. Continue Reading

Several years ago, I owned a yellow tabby cat named Mr. Mew. Adopted as a tiny little kitten, Mr. Mew proceeded to grow and grow and grow. By the time he was three, he weighed over seventeen pounds. He was one big cat. Mr. Mew was a midget compared to this big fella... Continue Reading

I am currently in Los Angeles attending Armand Morin's Big Seminar, an Internet marketing conference unlike any I have previously attended. This is Armand's sixth conference of this nature (he does them bi-annually) and you can tell that he really loves what he does. There are over 400 people here and the atmosphere is absolutely electric. It is a top-notch, classy operation. From the hotel to the speakers to the food and everything in between... Continue Reading

Mary was out of town at a conference yesterday, so I wanted to find something fun for the kids and myself to do together. Last week, I found out that a new place opened up on Northwest Expressway in Warr Acres, OK, where an old Wal-Mart used to be. It is called "Incredible Pizza". I asked a friend about it and was told that they opened up about six months ago. They described it as... Continue Reading

Liberal democrats and the mainstream media have been incredibly quick to bash President Bush and the Federal Government for their handling of the rescue efforts in New Orleans. Sid Blumenthal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and Molly Ivins shots off condemnation pieces within 24 hours of this tragedy, revealing their true colors once again. Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for a 9/11-style investigation of Katrina, seeking to point fingers and cause disruption for the President... Continue Reading

Unbelievable. Fox News is reporting that someone is shooting at rescue helicopters, making it a war zone for those who are trying to save lives! There are reports of looters roaming the streets with stolen guns. People are not only looting food (which I think it alright in these extreme circumstances), but they are taking non-essentials like baskets full of electronics, expensive shoes, etc. A despicable minority is bringing chaos to New Orleans and I... Continue Reading

Tupperware. The word just flows from the mouth like margarine, conjuring images of neighborhood wives gathered around the living room discussing the latest method of food storage and preparation. While the Tupperware Party is still around, the Internet has paved the way for virtual Tupperware parties! And the Tupperware business opportunity to riper than ever. So where do Tupperware consultants go to discuss the ins and outs of the Tupperware business? BurpIt.com, or course! The... Continue Reading

As one of my frequent readers recently noted, our world is filled with people living in poverty or under a totalitarian government. While we do have many poor people in America, our version of poor looks rich by the standards of many third world countries. And even with money, some countries treat people as disposable objects. In China, boys are treated as worthwhile, but girls are unwanted. The orphanages are overrunning with children, most of... Continue Reading

The organic trade association has produced a very funny Star Wars spoof. See Cuke fend off the evil Dark Tater as the organic foods seek to take control from the evil stores who sell nothing but processed and chemically treated foods. Funny stuff! Store Wars Continue Reading

I've been slaving away attempting to make sense of this thing we call the Internet. In order to put things in proper perspective, I have composed this paper which I hope will prove useful. Continue Reading

I love finger food. There's nothing like the simplicity of enjoying cheese sticks and chicken fingers off the platter. But Wendy's has apparantly taken finger food to the next level. SAN JOSE, Calif. Mar 23, 2005 — A woman's meal at a Wendy's restaurant brought a whole new meaning to the term "finger food." The woman bit into a portion of a human finger while eating a bowl of chili Tuesday night at the San... Continue Reading

The corrupt Kofi Annan says he knows nothing about the Oil for Food scandal. Yeah, right. Why is the United States still part of the U.N.? The Bill Clinton Presidential Library is open in Arkansas. Gee, let's pack up the kids in the car and tour this memorial to the worst President to ever live on Pennsylvania Avenue. No thanks. Where is that stained dress anyhow? Russia is apparantly developing a new nuke. Does the... Continue Reading

I've never been a huge Oprah Winfrey fan. I've probably watched three entire shows my whole life. But I do appreciate the positive spin she has taken her show these past years. Instead of doing the Jerry Springer "dregs of society" type shows, she has sought to elevate her show by featuring encouraging and inspiring stories. From time to time, she has been known to provide her entire audience with a year's supply of dogfood... Continue Reading

">Ok, this doesn't really fit in the "free stuff" category, but it is ALMOST free. ">Restaurant.com offers discount gift certificates to restaurants around the country. You can buy $25 gift certificates for as little as $10. But if you have the secret code (which I happen to know), you can save an additional 40% on your certificate! I have already tried this, ordering a $25 gift certificate for Coach's Restaurant in Edmond. It cost... Continue Reading

What a busy day! We started out with some breakfast and then a chairlift ride to the top of Keystone mountain. We were fortunate to have good weather this morning and the view from the top was spectacular. Zach and I decided that we would hike down the mountain, figuring it would take us an hour or so to make the 2000 foot, 3-mile descent. As it turned out, it took us 90 minutes and... Continue Reading

One of the reasons we wanted to get out of Oklahoma and visit Colorado was because of the intolerable heat. Ninety degree days just don't agree with us. Wouldn't you know it... Boulder is having a heatwave! According to the temperature gauge in the minivan, it got up to 98 degrees today! Needless to say, we didn't feel much like hiking of being outside. However, since it is so beautiful here, it is hard to... Continue Reading

Oh, the humanity! Man Allegedly Assaults Taco Bell Employee With Chalupa DES MOINES, Iowa -- A man who claimed he didn't get the taco he paid for has been charged with assault for allegedly pelting a Taco Bell clerk in the face with a chalupa. Nancy Harrison told police she was working the drive-through Thursday night when Christopher Lame, 24, ordered some food. He later came into the store, complaining he didn't get the taco... Continue Reading

Want to do a good deed? Here's an opportunity to help someone in need with one click. Coty-Girl is a dog that was featured on 11Alive News in Atlanta, GA. Coty-Girl has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease and she requires a very expensive diet. Her owner is strapped for cash but knows that Coty-Girl needs the food. Prescription Diet is currently running a contest for a one-year FREE supply of food for the winner. Coty-Girl... Continue Reading

Some recommended links if you have nothing better to do: Top Grossing Movies of All Time - as of this writing, The Passion of Christ is at #23 A Tasty Snack Food TV Game Show fun The Word Spy - just what IS a metrosexual anyhow? "Use the Force, Luke" Continue Reading

Did you know that a fast-food diet is bad for your body? Seriously. Morgan Spurlock decided a documentary of him eating nothing but McDonalds for 30 days would make a fascinating film. What he found out was far less fascinating. After just a few days of McDonalds food, three times a day, Spurlock was sick as a dog. It may actually make for an interesting film. Read the whole story Continue Reading

Christmas. It evokes thoughts of Santa Claus, reindeer, snow, presents, wrapping, shopping, a warm fireplace on a chilly night, children anticipating the big day, and time spent with family and friends. My hope for you is all of the above. But even moreso, my hope for you is that the real meaning of Christmas will land smack dab in the middle of your heart... and never leave. Christmas is Jesus. Christmas is the birth of... Continue Reading

Here's some great links to make your weekend more meaningful ;-) DVDFile.com - the best place on the web for all things DVD HomeStarRunner.com - funny and on the edge - great stuff for wasting time Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 Revived Pages - my very first computer immortalized on this fan page. I owned a Model I with 4K of RAM. Sweet. Lateral Thing Puzzles - In the middle of the ocean is a yacht. Several... Continue Reading

Woke up bright and early to begin our tour of the Nation's Capitol. We found a subway station just across the street from the hotel and were at The Mall in a few minutes. Bam, there we were, surrounded by the greatness that is Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument to my left; the Capitol Building to my right; and The Smithsonian beckoning to us from all directions! It was my first glimpse of the city... Continue Reading

We left Philadelphia early this morning and jumped on the highway towards Hershey, Pennsylvania. The kids have been looking forward to our visit to Chocolate World for the whole trip, so the anticipation had been building. Hershey's Chocolate World was just plain fun. Pulling into the parking lot gives you the feeling of, "Uh oh, there goes the diet!" The first thing we did was check out the free Chocolate Tour Ride, a Disney-style track... Continue Reading

Sunday. Lazy day. We slept in, laid around, watched TV, had breakfast and laid around some more. The nice folks at the Conwell Inn allowed us to use their washer and dryer, so we did laundry for free. Later in the afternoon we hopped in the minivan and attempted to find civilization. We were all pretty hungry and were looking for something we recognized. We drove, and drove and drove. And you know what we... Continue Reading

So long New Jersey. Hello Pennsylvania. For the second time on this journey, we are in Pennsylvania. The first time we passed through the west end on our way to Niagara Falls. This time we are stopping for four nights in Philadelphia. There is so much history here and we are going to attempt to squeeze as much in as possible. I had a very hard time finding a place to stay in the city... Continue Reading

We did not want to go through the trial of commuting into NYC again today, so we took it nice and easy. We opted for a leisurely lunch at the food court at the mall, the kids did their schoolwork and I had a little playtime on the computer. I haven't said much about Socrates in my blog, but he is having a great time "running with the pack". He's a good dog, except when... Continue Reading

We started the day at Ro and Kyle's Bed and Breakfast. What great people these two are, and what a blessing it was to spend the night with them, enjoying good food and conversation. They are planning on driving to Boston on this weekend to spend more time with us exploring the sites. We hit the road around noon and set course for the Boston area. We weren't in a hurry and figured that we... Continue Reading

What's that? You like your greasy cheeseburgers and french fries? Gasp! Don't you know you are contributing to the ongoing trend of obesity in America? And don't you realize that you are responsible for the exploding costs in health care? What kind of person are you, anyway? You should be punished! Or so say the liberal, wacko extremists that want to find another way to place restrictions on your Constitutional freedoms. Fortunately, they have lost... Continue Reading

Look out! Head for the hills! Get in your shelter! Store away food and drink! It's the end of the world! Asteroids are coming! But not until 2014. Maybe. Sorry to be an alarmist. Continue Reading

Ok, so now Al Qaida is taking credit for the blackouts on the East coast. The one paragraph that really stuck out to me was this... "The statement, which Al-Hayat obtained from the website of the International Islamic Media Center, didn't specify the way the alleged sabotage was carried out. The communiqué read: 'let the criminal Bush and his gang know that the punishment is the result of the action, the soldiers of God cut... Continue Reading

Here's one that makes me so angry I just couldn't pass it up. From the web site, The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation... Terri was 26 years old when she suffered brain damage from a sudden collapse. Terri receives her food and water by means of a food tube, commonly referred to as a "straw." Terri’s other bodily functions are physically stable. Terri smiles, laughs and cries. Terri recognizes voices and responds. At times, she vocalizes sounds... Continue Reading

Our last day and we've really got nothing left that we want to do. We considered going to Colorado to see the sand dunes near Alamosa, but it was over 1.5 hours away and it was going to be hot. So we opted to have lunch in town and play it by ear. But first, we stopped at the Red River Candy Mountain Fudge shop. As you may recall from yesterday's entry, the manager asked... Continue Reading

What a busy day! Jenna and I started the day with a one-hour horseback ride. She rode Questa and I rode Buck. They took us 600 feet up the mountain on a sometimes precarious trail. It was a great deal of fun. Socrates got to meet one of the horses as well. He wanted to see them until he got up close. He must have been thinking, "That's the biggest dog I've ever seen!" Afterwards... Continue Reading

We got a late start this morning, but isn't that what vacationing is all about? Jenna is so excited about going horseback riding, so we walked to the stable and made a reservation for tomorrow at 10:30 am. She will be riding a black and white horse named Questa. Every time we passed the stable today, she pointed out Questa to all of us. Took a photo of Jenna out front of the lodge. For... Continue Reading

It is late on Saturday evening and we are preparing for a sem-spontaneous trip to Red River, New Mexico. It has been SO darned hot in Oklahoma City (it hit 109 degrees today!) that we need a break from it. So we'll be leaving first thing in the morning and will return next Sunday. It is approximately 8.5 hours driving time. Figure in 1.5 hours for rest stops, food, and walking the dog, should put... Continue Reading

While on vacation in Enid, OK, we took the kids to see Finding Nemo. It may just be the BEST Pixar animated feature to date! As they have done with several recent flicks, Pixar first taunted us with a short film. Knick Knack was their very first computer animated short film. This story of a snowman in a snow globe pining for the disproportionate blond from Miami had me in stitches for several minutes. 'Nuff... Continue Reading

Perhaps I should change the category title to "the not-so-incredible, rather-ordinary, fat and lazy mayor". That's the kind of week it has been. With the server problems I've been experiencing, I have not had the time nor the drive to exercise. On top of that, I am enjoying large portions of tasty food. So, I'll probably weigh next Monday and we'll see how much damage I have done. I thought I'd make myself accountable by... Continue Reading

I am eager to get past this leveling off in my metabolism. It's falling off a bit slower this week, but I remember this happening last time. It seems like I am going nowhere and then the bottom drops out and more pounds falls off quickly. I've been VERY good about my eating habits. I had some Thai food for the first time yesterday. It was a spicy chicken with white rice, bamboo shoots, carrots... Continue Reading

Well, I ended up losing 5 pounds last week. I think I hit my first plateau and I'm fine with that. Ended up pigging out on Chinese food over the weekend. I even had a friend egg-roll. Yum! I am back on track this week and hope I can ditch an additional 5 pounds. Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me with your comments. I am walking on the treadmill an hour a... Continue Reading

It was touch and go early this week as the shocking news hit the wires. News so terrifying, so insidious, and so darned ridiculous that many were questioning whether or not the pod people had taken over. Of course, I am speaking Stephen Joseph, the moron (re: attorney) in San Francisco (where else?) who filed to BAN Oreo cookies in California. Why? He said the popular cookie contains a life-threatening compound called trans fat. EEEEEEK... Continue Reading

I can just about live on these when I am trying to lose weight. But I always get the dressing on the side. I dip my fork and then stick the rabbit food. I never use too much of the dressing this way. Continue Reading

Went to Steak and Ale for dinner with the lovely and engaging MrsMayor. Our waitress was very annoying. Her style was phony and patronizing (in a bad way). Food was good though. The movie, on the other hand, not so much. I like stupid movies, but this one had few good laughs and a lot of tasteless humor. Of course, the teenagers behind us were yukking it up. I was totally disappointed with the ending... Continue Reading