I'm amazed at how savvy young business women are today. I'm very good at providing a professional service to my clients, but am well aware that I run the business end of things poorly. I visited my friend Doris at A Meeting Place for All Home Office Women and was very impressed. Doris gathers information from around the web and gives her fresh voice to information on operating a business effectively and profitably. I was very diappointed to discover her invitation to join eWednesday Chat a few hours too late to participate in a session on Negotiation Skills for Women, a weak point for me. I'll make it a point to take in some of these chats when I can. Networking is a wonderful way to make friends and discover new, creative voices to learn from. Doris has recently featured Blogtripping, an endless circle of blog visiting and critiquing and also reminded us Don't Stop Bloging. She also runs the Birth of a Home Office blog carnival, a wonderful roundup of different voices that can contribute to your home office experience. Doris is full of wisdom and I need to make her a regular stop on my rounds. I think it she can help me be a better business woman.

While you're in the neighborhood, make sure you sample Doris's personal posts, too. She collects Barbie Dolls, but the living doll in her life is Clayton, who gains great benefit from Mommie working at home.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

I hope to be launching my new blog on my own domain later this week. I'm excited and nervous & more than a little scared. This is a huge leap for me and the technology just seems to get more and more muddled in my head.

I got a huge surprise yesterday morning. A friend has gifted me with a custom design for the new site! I doubt that it will be in place when I start redirecting you there, but then, I have no clue how these things work. I've been trying to figure out why my friend would do something so wonderful and the only conclusion I can reach is because that's just the kind of generous and warm-hearted gal she is. I don't know if she wants her name exposed, but if she does I'll tell you all about it later.

Back to studying how all this works. Wish me luck!

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

I just spoke to my friend Jennifer. She's a realtor and uses my termite inspection services for all of her transactions. I contacted her a little over a week ago in a panic when I got the IRS letter. I asked her which lender had, in her experience, been the most willing to work with someone whose credit was not stellar. This was after striking out with my own bank and several other lenders. She immediately gave me a name and said if anyone could work magic, he was the guy. I spoke with her contact the next morning and, as you know, he arranged for me to refinance my home, at a very good rate, in less than a week. To take such a transaction from opening to closing in such a short period of time is virtually unheard of. I will, of course, be recommending him to others in the future.

All of the money that I make from doing inspections for real estate transactions comes through escrow. While I was in the title office for my signing, I met several escrow officers who have been sending me checks for years. They introduced me to others in their office who were not yet familiar with my services. While it is most normal for realtors to contract for my services, many of them ask the escrow transaction coordinators to do it for them. The folks I met today can be essential in helping my business grow. Lenders sometimes require that their clients to get a termite inspection when they apply for a loan. My lender has a stack of my cards and inspection order forms. We've been added to each other's networks.

So what's the point of this? I met Jennifer through a networking opportunity a few years ago. I don't know how long she's been referring her clients to my lender, but he's part of her network, too. Each of us has our own network of individuals and companies that we do business with and serve as referrals for. Those networks overlap and new associations are made. The escrow officers who "knew" me, though we had never met face to face, increased my own network by introducing me to their fellow officers. I didn't ask them to. They did it spontaniously because I've provided them with excellent service.

This particular networking opportunity came about because of my personal business. Each of us needs to recognize and capitalize on such opportunities whenever they arise. With a business like mine (and perhaps yours) personal referrals account for more than half of my new business. To waste such opportunities would be tanatamount to shutting the door in a potential client's face.

Labels: business, friends, networking, work

The more I hang around PPP, the more wonderful people I find to enrich my life. Here's some of my new friends.

Homeschoolzoo is in the spotlight today. She's an Arkansas woman and jill-of-all-trades, who grows much of the food her family consumes, preserving it herself. She’s currently growing herbs and dehydrating what she can’t use fresh. She bakes bread, and grinds her own wheat for it! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This Christian home-schooling mom also crochets, sews and does crafts. We’re not talking the sloppy little projects that I frequently start and abandon. Take a look at her Painted Glass. I’m telling you, this lady is a pro at all she does. I can’t pick one of her blogs to send you to, so here are several: Homeschool Zoo was the first of her blogs that I read and has a great family bio on the opening page. In Zoo Talk she talks about “God, life, job, politics, opinions, cooking, journal, and more.” Plain Book of Homeschooling focuses on Christian Homeschooling, and Homeschool Zoo Annex offers more homeschooling advice plus some great bargain-shopping tips. Check her out at any of her sites, but be forewarnd: you’ll be there a long, long time. Wonderful links on evey page will suck you into a marathon session at your computer!


My friend blm03 has just started a new blog to replace her old one. Go visit her at My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings. She’s going through a stressful time right now, so show her a little love while you’re there.

Scorpy is another of my postie friends. She and I have a place in our hearts for pit bulls and we’ve talked together a few times about them. Go see her at Marisa’s Danelion Patch, and see what she has to say about legal intervention in the parent/child realtionship, too.

Tess Jones has recently been thinking about the way her relationship with her dad has changed over the years. Go on over to Musings from Me to see what else is on her mind. Her recent thoughts about bathrooms stirred up some memories for me.

Amy Jo hangs out at Bellclapper’s Garden. She’s crowing and happy these days because she’s gotten her own domain! Since I’m bracing for the same move, I’ll have to pick her brains about how to do that. She's got one of those funny blogs that won't let you link to specific entries, but they're all good, so go get to know her. Make sure you read Where I'm From. I'm sure there's a story about each of the places she's from, but I kind of like not knowing what all of them are, because her phrasing makes my imagination soar!

Labels: blogs, friends, posties

A big mahalo to two posties who gave me a hand today. I spent many hours putting together my two new blogrolls, only to have the script corrupt into an unclicklable mess. I posted this morning that I would look for the bugs when I got off of work, and then fretted about it all day while I was in Waikiki.

When I got home this afternoon I opened up my computer and went first to the blogrolls. Nope, it wasn't a bad dream. They were still just long lists of links that wouldn't link. I was more than a little afraid to go to the thread at PayPerPost where I'd offered to share my work. I noticed that I had PMs so I checked them out first. I was halfway expecting to find either sympathy or curses. What I found instead was a cure for what ailed me.

The first was from Mooger who explained why I'd had a problem and then gave me step-by-step corrections. Do you know Mooger? He's a tech whiz who seems to pop up every time a postie has a code problem or other technical gremlins to deal with. He's got two great blogs where you can get to know him better. In Just Some Thoughts he opens up his head and blogs about whatever falls out. Fun, funny, interesting and entertaining. Most of the posts contain links to interesting things he's found while wandering around the net, like this very unusual Zebra Calendar from a recent entry. His other blog offers reviews of all things musical. Check him out for the latest in guitars, amps, software and more at Todos Music Gizmos. His reviews are direct and factual and seem to me to be unbiasd and fair. Mooger seems to be an expert at finding the offbeat and unusual. Who knew that you could have an amp in a vintage toaster?

After I finished reading Mooger's advice I moved on to the next PM, still wearing my flameproof big girl panties and expecting some not-so-pleasant words. Instead I found that my friend CyberCelt had not only offered the same corrections I'd just read, she'd done them for me! Strangely enough, I had written some stuff about her a few days ago & had saved it for a final polish. Here's what I wrote before she bacame one of my guardian angels:

I’m a Texan, you know, and spent a lot of my youth exploring the great outdoors. That’s why I got hooked on CyberCelt’s Texas RV Travel Blog the first time I visited. She loves to brag about Texas and (don't we all?) and her pride comes through as she tries to entice you into checking it out youself. She did a wonderful job of decribing some wonderful fishing spots in the Texas Hill Country River Region recently. She’s also generous of heart and has reminded her readers about our obligation to help those in dire need. Make sure you also check out her Click and Comment Monday on CoolAdzine for Marketers and her blog monetizing strategies at Advertising for Success.

I hope you'll go visit my friends Mooger and CyberCelt and tell them how wonderful they are!

Labels: blogging, blogrolls, friends

My blogrolls are complete and can be accessed from my sidebar. Clicking on either Postie Blogroll or Good Folks to Read will take you where you want to go. If I've inadvertantly left you off, give me a shout. Feel free to copy either one from here if you like, but I find I get corrupted links that way. I've saved each as a Word document that will give you a result that should look just like mine. Leave a comment here or send me an email if you'd like me to send it to you. You can save that, then copy and paste it into a fresh post on your blog & you should be good to go. Installing your blogrolls inside your blog (instead of a sidebar list) will give you genuine incoming and outgoing links, so they're good for your PR. If you'd like to be included, send me the name of your blog(s) and the link(s.) I'm not going to promise to add every one that comes in, but most of you should be able to meet my high standards. ;0)

Note: I will NOT add abusers or violators of PPP TOS. You know who you are, so don't ask. If anyone notices that I've added someone that shouldn't hang around in good company, I hope you'll let me know ASAP!

EDIT: Sorry folks! I scrambled the whole thing when I edited last night. I'll find the bug and fix it when I get home from work!

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, payperpost, posties

I used to bowl in a league. Most of the other bowlers were members of a Mardi Gras krewe. They didn't have enough bowlers in their krewe so they invited me to be a member (of the league, not the krewe.) It was pretty embarrassing, really. It was back in the seventies and my memories aren't as vivid as they once were, but I think I remember that my average was in the nineties when I joined and about 120 by the time I left the league. I've never been much of an athlete and was already dealing with a pinched nerve in my spine, but the other teams members were pretty supportive & I don't think they laughed about me behind my back. I was always very self-conscious when with them, though, and finally got the nerve to bow out at the end of year two. They didn't beg me to stay.

The bowling I did enjoy was midnight bowling with family and friends. The price was ridiculously cheap, so we'd fill a couple of cars with folks and head on down to the Bowling Lane. The staff was lax about rules for the scanty midnight crowds, so we'd crank the jukebox way up and dance between our turns at the pins. I had won a personalized bowling ball in a drawing and had my own shoes. The blue ball and shoes were carried in a blue bag. I always wore jeans and either a blue or black top when I bowled. I wasn't a good bowler then, either, but at least I looked hot and was with friends who didn't make me nervous.

I loved everything about that experience: the music competing with the sound of balls rolling down the lane and pins flying, the smell of the oiled-wood lanes and sweaty shoes and, mostly, the comraderie of a group of folks who knew each other well and were having a grand old time.

I was disappointed to find out recently that the lanes are no longer real wood. The synthetics used now are supposed to be better for ball control, but I'm pretty sure I would miss that old oiled wood and the sound of a ball thunking down on the wood lanes if I were ever to take up the sport again. I thougth bowling in the seventies was a wonderful passtime. I think I would feel that something was missing if I were to walk into a bowling alley these days. Some things should stay the same, don't you think, for the sake of tradition and nostalgia?

It's unlikely I'll ever bowl again anyway, what with the effects of aging on a back that was damaged in my youth, but still I'm glad that encyclocentral.com sponsored this post so I could drag our some more memories to share.

Labels: bowling, friends, memories, payperpost

Sometime in the next day or two you will see your link disappear off of my sidebar. Don't worry - I'm not erasing my friends. I'll be replacing those unwieldy lists with a couple of links to lists that will be tucked away neatly inside. This will hopefully make my pages more appealing, and will also be better for you and for me, page rank wise. Search engines tend to ignore sidebars when determining ingoing and outgoing links. By placing links in the body of my blog, we'll all "get credit" for our own links. I'm working on my PPP postie links today and will do my other links once this list is finished. If I'm doing it properly (I think I am) my postie list will be available as a word document when I'm done. Drop me a PM if you'd like a copy. You can install it too, and you won't be giving me PR credit every time you link to another postie.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, links

Y'all know I'm an animal lover, right, and a dog lover in particular?



So is my best friend. We exchange cards for special occasions and even "no occasion - just wanted to say hello."



I'm always on the look out for breed-specific animated ecards for dog lovers.



How cool is it that I can insert a stock photo of the specific breed (above) or personalize with a photo from my own files (below)?



I just made a sample card featuring my friend's two breeds - beagle and weimeraner - reminding her of how well they play together with my dogs & that they haven't seen each other lately. I suggested a playdate for our dogs, lol! Membership for Sloppy Kiss Cards is only $9.95 a year and helps support Petfinder.com Foundation.



Yeah, I think I can sqeeze that much fun into my budget! Besides, they have such cute ideas:



This post was sponsored by Sloppy Kiss Cards so we could all share the fun!

Labels: dogs, ecards, friends, payperpost

Last week my head was stuck on the fact that my camera had died. I didn't even think about my web cam, even though other participants were using theirs. So, anyway, here you go. Me, early on a Sunday morning. Two sips of coffee inside me, hair uncombed and, if you look closely, there's probably gunk in the corners of my eyes.

Arrrrrrrgh! Next time I'll look closer before I put it out there. Pretend I fluffed my bangs so you can't see the half-inch of roots that are crying for attention, lol!

You can play Self Portrait Sunday too. Click on the link to see how.

Labels: digital photography, friends, photos, Self Portrait Sunday

I have to admit that I may be the world's worst when it comes to remembering important dates. I know when my friends' birthdays are, for instance, but I lose track of time and rarely send a card that arrives on time. I think the people who created Card-List.com must have had folks like me in mind when they came up with their concept. Through their service, you can select cards that are appropriate, compile a list of the friends you want to remember (with their mailing information and appropriate dates) and then forget about it. They'll send you the selected card, in a stamped, addressed envelope, just in time for you to sign it amd mail it to your friends. How simple is that? If you're a forgetful procrastinator like me, or just plain lazy, you really should check it out!

Labels: cards, celebrations, friends, payperpost

I get tons of email forwards from family and a friends. Some of them make me crazy. How hard is it to copy and paste the original content to your mailing list, instead of forwarding a forward of a forward of a forward? How many private email addresses have you forwarded to me (from folks who don't know me and might not want me to have their addresses?) How many have you shared my address with? Shame on you!

One of my cousins (actually she's married to a cousin) is a thoughtful emailer. She "blinds" addresses, and only sends me selections from her forwarded mail that she thinks will interst me. This post is dedicated to Kathy for her thoughtfulness! She'll never see it, of course. My blog will lose a lot of its entertainment value if my family ever finds out about it! Here's part of a forward Kathy sent me today. I hope enjoy you'll this in her place!













And finally, for all of my postie friends who are recovering from the latest scavanger hunt:

Labels: computers, family, friends, humor

Sweet thing, I haven't been able to get into your site in ages. I get a search page instead. I know you're online & think you're okay because you've commented bunches of times. Is there a secret to getting into your blog these days? New URL? I need to catch up on you & your family! There's an email toggle here somewhere (on my profile,I think,) or you can leave a comment.

Any of our mutual friends who have a clue, I'd welcome your help!

Labels: blogs, friends

My camera became brain-damaged on Christmas Day, and I'm pretty sure it went through its final death throes on New Year's Day when I was trying to take pictures of the fire. My timing was always lousy!

My friend Cass has just started a new photoblog. She's invited one and all to join her for Self Portrait Sunday which, of course, I can't really play right now. I can cheat, though. I know this because most of Cass's friends weren't any more ready than I am, so they've posted non-self portraits. I've dug around in my files and come up with a real exclusive!

Above you see me, mid-eighties, with the ex. He was trying not to be the ex that day. He'd been out of my life for quite a few years, but he had a habit of showing up from time to time. That was fine. We shared a son. But then Mr. Ex would disappear again for another few years. Each time he came back he'd suddenly remember that he loved me madly and wanted me in his life. The first time he did this I bought it. That's when we married. Our son was three. I was young and foolish enough to think that his father and I could make a family for him. We were together for a whole five months before that fell apart. The next time I saw him was probably about five or six years later. I got a call from a lawyer saying Mr. Ex was back in town, in jail, and needed help with bail. I brought him a carton of cigarettes and we visited for a half an hour. Then I got a lawyer and had him served with divorce papers. He thought that was cold. I thought it was pragmatic, considering that it was the first time he'd had an actual address in many years.

Fast forward to the occasion above. My life had become more settled. I had entered the profession I still serve today. I was on the board of our local industy association and had committed to go to our annual picnic. Mr. Ex showed up and wanted to spend the day with our son. Son said no thanks, I'd rather go to the picnic. He was getting ready to start his senior year in high school and quite able to make his own decisions. Mr. Ex also told our son that he needed to drop out of school and go into the U.S. Army, as he, his father and his grandfather had done. Son said no thanks. So we all went to the picnic.

And why is the picture considered an exclusive? Well, because it was one of only three occassions where we were photographed together. We had a very small family album.

Cass would like you to join her and all of her friends for Self Portrait Sunday. I'll install a button when someone tells me how. Today you can just follow the link above and it will take you right there! Don't be shy now!

Labels: bums, divorce, family, friends, photos

I talked about some of my gal friends a while back and promised equal time for the menfolk. Here are some of the guys who make my world go around

Steve, over at The beginnings of a Blog, is a tech wiz. He knows and understands all the gadgets that make our lives click along smoothly these days. He’s also great at hunting down links for new sites that help you stay informed. But our Steve is not a one-dimensional guy. He’s a Canadian living in New York and going to Long Island University on a track scholarship. Did I mention that he’s got a wicked sense of humor? Wonder where he finds the time to dedicate to the research that keeps his blog up-to-the-minute?

Drew and I have been visiting each others blogs & talking on a message board for a while now. He and his lovely lady Allison are both excellent photographers. He’s posted a Photo-A-Day since April 9, 2005 and has invited other bloggers to join his Photo-A-Day project. Drew is a true renaissance man. He collects Transformers, and even posts tasty recipes! Every time I prowl around in his archives I find something new that I didn’t know about this talented guy!

Osman has the heart of a poet. I’ve been reading his About the things that occupy my mind for a while now. His posts are always interesting and thoughtful. He’s a multi-talented guy who recently excitedly announced his second blog, Linguistics and Languages. Osman, you see, is a linguist and languages are his passion. He is studying at university to be an English teacher. He is multi-lingual and has installed a translator program on the site so that it can be read in twelve different languages. I especially enjoyed his round-up post of others’ thoughts and opinions on languages. I was quite honored when he asked me to be his first guest blogger.

As a newbie blogger and totally non-tech, I frequently find myself facing glitches in my posting. Techie has come running to my aid several times when I’ve had technical questions. He’s another who is a great resource for gadgets and sites to enhance your online experience. He’s recently started a gift selection site with attitude. He likes to share amusing tidbits that he finds when he's surfing around. Oh, and I should mention that it looks like his little girl is making her first appearance in the world this weekend. Congrats to Techie & wife!

In addition to all of their other sterling attributes, my fellas are all handsome and studly, and they all know how to treat a gal to make her feel oh-so-special. Drew and Techie are taken (alas!) but Osman and Steve are single guys still looking for love. Skeet's matchmaking service will, for a small fee, arrange a more personal introduction for you gals out there who are also searching.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

My friend Jules tagged me. I have to tell you about my five favorite movies. It's hard to pick because there are so many good ones out there. I've watched each of the ones below many times, but they aren't the only ones to share that dubious honor. I love the old Lerner & Lowe and Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, but didn't include them. Brigadoon is available on DVD now, so I'm going to use a gift card from Christmas to pick that up soon. I love grainy, silly black-and-white sci-fi flics ... the kind where you sometimes see a boom descend into the screenshot and you have to laugh at the goofiness of the monsters. I adore really good kid-flics and probably have as many of those as I do adult fare. Alfred Hitchcock is still my master of suspense. But, for a general audience, here are my five:



I first watched because of Johnny Depp, of course (don't we all!) His sexiness and charisma come through, no matter what the role. He's never relied on that alone, though I'm pretty sure he could. His movies are all fresh and original, and he knows how to pick his roles. What surprised about this one was my reaction to Brando. He's always been a fine actor, but I never particularly thought about him one way or another. Surprise! He's huge in his role as DJDM's therapist - I'm referring to his physical shape - but wow! He exudes sexuality and intelligence and wit. Made a fan out of me.




This one is probably catalogued as a romantic comedy, and I certainly like that type, but I think that The American President is head and shoulders above most of this genre. Smart and sexy, Michael Douglas and Annette Benning create solid, believable characters that you feel like you really know early in the show. They're both so intelligent and strong-willed, you know there's going to be an intersting conflict. The supporting cast all carried their roles extremely well also. This one is great fun with a just the right level of tension and drama thrown in to keep it from being too sugary sweet.



A group of unemployed Irish guys decide to put on a show a 'la Chippindales. You know you're going to love it from the opening credits. I still laugh until I cry every time I watch it, still get teary over the sad parts & still want just a little more of a peek at the end. Why, oh why did they not shoot the final shot from the audience's perspective?!



Not just one of the best baseball movies ever. One of the*best*movies*ever, period. First there's Kevin Costner. Yum! Get over it and get into the story (I know, hard for some of us to get over Kevin. That's like trying to get over Johnny Depp. Not sure it's do-able, but try.) We all have a field of dreams. A seemingly impossible task that only we have faith in, and we've fought it because it's so ridiculously farfetched. This story is all about stretching, and reaching and believing and doing. Making the intagible dream become a reality. But you know that. You've all watched it and felt that stirring to drag your dreams out into the light of day. It's not about magical slippers. It's about taking that leap of faith, even though common sense says you'll never reach the other side. Field of Dreams makes us believe we can.



Perhaps one of the saddest movies ever made, certainly the saddest for our times, because it's the terrible reality we're all living with. The all-star cast is a good enough reason to watch, but it's the story that is the true star here. Political - not my thing at all. Controversial - I usually avoid that, too. Still, it sucks the breath out of my lungs and leaves me shaking, crying, feeling so helpless. Yet I've gone back to it time and again, and I know I'll continue to do so. It's too compelling to just watch once. It's too important to not share. Watch it. Get angry. Then do something. Yes, there's a special reason that I ask you to watch it, but you don't need one, trust me. If you haven't watched it, please, please do.

Now for the fun part. I tag Drew and Osman because they love good movies, too! Now I need to find one more. Any volunteers?

Ah, finally! I also tag my sweet,good friend scorpy01!

Labels: blogs, friends, memes, movies

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Things in my life have changed a lot over the last twenty years or so. I've lost track of many people I had thought would be friends for life. I guess that happens to many of us, especially those of us who now reside thousands of miles away from the places we once called home. Today I have a small group of friends with whom I interact in real life, and a much larger group I have never met, but still visit with daily. That phenomenon called the internet has brought wonderful people into my world. While most of them are women, the group encompasses both genders, various lifestyles and religious persuasions, gay and straight, young and old and of many nationalities. A few weeks ago I joined in the fun on the PPP message boards and my list of friends has grown at a tremendous rate since then. Today I'd like to introduce you to a few of them. I hope you'll go visit their blogs and get to know them. They've all taken this newbie under their wings and helped me improve my bogging skills and my writings for PPP. Most of them have several blogs. You'll be missing a treat if you don't visit their sidebars and get to know them better.

First up is Ms. Kat. She shares stories about her life, her family, Florida and a few current events at My Single Mom Life. Check out the photos of her recent shopping day with her two adorable nieces, if you can tear yourself away from Mr. Sexy in her header. Oh, and do share the joy of her catty Christmas too!

Jules lives near Vegas. It’s the gambling capital to us (and backdrop for CSI,) but home to her. I’m glad that she doesn’t believe that what happens in Vegas stays there, because she tells interesting stories. She, hubby & baby were sick for the holidays, so go show her some love at Just Julies Journal.

Bulletproofsoul is a technical whiz who shares her knowledge generously and does not suffer fools gladly. I really enjoy Bucket O' Bulletz. She's a very spiritual gal who shares that and so much more. I especially like her daily sidebar feature "Motivations for Moms."

Aimee's Blog is about life, love and the pursuit of pink flamingos. That's just the kinda gal she is. She's recently announced that she'll be doing a monthly project-sharing carnival for all of you creative types. It starts soon, so go sign up now.

Cass describes herself as Mom of 8, knitter, and very, very proper. She’s always one of the first to answer when I have stupid newbie questions about blogging in general and PPP in particular. Several blogs, but the one I like best is Cass Knits, where she shares her love of family, knitting and eclectic oddities. She's another techie who generously shares her knowledge with the technically-challenged.

Last, but never, ever least is Chris. She's affectionately known as the queen, and keeps us laughing and interested on the PPP message boards. The same humor is evident on her blog Queen Chris's Xanga Site, where she explains why it isn’t easy being queen. Today she's also talking about blogging friends. Good stuff, even if she didn't have anything to say about me!

Give my friends a visit and tell them skeet sent you. If I'm asked very nicely I might introduce you to some of my menfriends in a future post.

The girlfriends picture is from Fotosearch Stock Photography. Lot's of lovely photos and clipart there, and a well-organized search system to make it easy.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, gratitude

I grew up knowing a few folks named Skeet or Skeeter. It's a pretty common name in the South. The first Skeeter I knew was a boy a little younger than me. His family, mine and several others from church would gather every month or so at one of our homes. The parents would play dominoes or cards while munching the elaborate party snacks our mothers had found in the most recent edition of Good Housekeeping or Red Book. Us kids, usually ten to twenty of us, had our own snacks and drinks set up outside. About the third time someone ran inside to whine to a parent or to use the bathroom, the adults would lock us out. We all thought that terribly unjust, but we loved being out in the dark with friends, playing chase, telling ghost stories & doing the things kids do. Eventually someone would get a scraped knee or the mosquitoes (skeeters!) would get too bad and we'd be allowed back inside, consigned to a den or rec room or garage with board games and a record player.

When I was old enough to go to school I met other Skeets and Skeeters. The name is assigned to both boys and girls, and I also knew adults whom we addressed as Miss Skeeter or Mr. Skeet. We children of the South in the fifties and sixties were very polite and always attached an honorific to the front of adults' names. Actually, not so much because we were polite, but because we knew we would be severely punished for failure to do so.

Here's the history of how I became skeet. It didn't come from my parents. It's the abbreviated version of the name my big brother gave me when we were quite young. He drug it out whenever he wanted to torture his little sis. Eddie and I were quite close and I loved him dearly, but he was a terrible tease. My parents named me Anita Bess. My mother, her mother and my great-grandmother were all named Bessie. Mom wanted the tradition to continue but hated the name. The adult relatives must have approved of her choice, because they always addressed me by the double-barreled version, and those who are still around do it to this day. It's a Southern thing. Our across-the-street neighbor, Mom's best friend, also did it. She was a New Orleans gal (we're originally from Texas) and she pronounced me in that dialect found only there and in Brooklyn, New York, so to her I was Neeter Bess. What a perfect opportunity she created for Eddie! The segue from Neeter Bess to Skeeter Bess originally came in a fit of anger, and fit nicely into a chanting phrase he created when he wanted to make me miserable. "Skeeter Bess, she's a mess ..." It followed me everywhere and was eventually picked up by neighborhood kids who liked torturing animals and small girls. By the time I entered junior high it had been forgotten by the masses, but Skeeter Bess had developed into a pet name at home. Eddie was the one who used it most often, partly as a reminder of his own cleverness in creating it, but mostly as an expression of affection.

I first got online about eight years ago. I tried on various screen names for size, but none of them seemed to feel right. Eddie had died a few years earlier, and I still frequently thought of myself as Skeeter Bess when I remembered our childhood antics. As I began to develop online friendships, it occurred to me that my screen name had been waiting for me in the wings all along. I became skeeterbess once again as a tribute to his memory. It is shortened to skeet or skeeter by many of my friends, but in my mind it's always the full moniker, and frequently chanted in Eddie's voice: "Skeeter Bess, she's a mess ..."

A month or so ago I discovered that skeet is now a dirty word. The definition bothered me enough that I thought about changing my name and the name of my blog. That was before I understood the wonderful world of page rank. I found something interesting when I installed a stat tracker. I get "hits" daily from folks looking for the street slang usuage, so many that google will eventually take notice and quit calling me a zero. I don't know of any adults who use the word that way and my blog is not addressed to those children, so I've decided to keep it. It has a long and mostly honorable history, and it's been mine longer than it's been theirs. If you get a little squeamish like me when you hear it used that other way, think instead of the affectionate teasing of a small boy for his baby sister. Think of skeet and come on by for a visit with a proud holder of the name. My google rank will thank you!

Labels: family, friends, memories, nicknames, siblings

Your time is short. With a lifespan about equal to that of a fly, how much can you accomplish? There's only so much you can do to express your individuality.





There's little you can do to shield yourself from vulnerability.





You're robbed of enjoying even the simple peasures.





You're so exposed.




Sharing the joy of the season with you all, my friends, with just a bit of irreverence thrown in. Mele Kalikimaka to you, and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! May the new year bring you peace and happiness, or some reasonable facsimile thereof.

Labels: Christmas, friends, humor

This may seem a little silly to some folks, but I’ve been grinning all day over a little $10.00 paycheck from PayPerPost. No, it’s not much, but it represents a great deal. You see, when you blog for PayPerPost, you get paid after your post has been up for thirty days. I’ve been blogging for PPP for … thirty days! So that little payment that appeared today is only the first of many, a symbol of things to come. I’ll be paid about $250 if I never make another post. But since I like what I’m doing and am taking more posting opportunities than I did for the first week or so, future monthly earnings will be even better. PPP is sponsoring this post, too, and has become a steady source of income for me. 2007 is looking rosy and prosperous in the skeet household!

A big mahalo (thank you!) to my friend Denise for telling me all about this wonderful opportunity. My Christmas will be a little brighter and I have a little more financial security thanks to her and to PayPerPost!

Labels: blogging, friends, payperpost