Hush Hush

RUles Change!

2006-07-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

Oh no! PayPerPost has changed their rules on me!

I had hoped this blog as a way to earn some extra spending money - but PayPerPost has "caught on to me!" They have a new rule set up where I have to have a normal blog seperate my PayPerPost blogs.

Oh dear. Now ... I must rethink this whole deal. PayPerPost is going to have to up the ante I thinks for me to take the time to write all of these posts!

Virtual Office Hits The Real World

2006-07-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Back to My Virtual Office Dreams ....

Now .... I wrote a few days ago about opening up my own online business. I started thinking about the next steps. Taking that vitual buisness out into the real world - and opening up an office. How would I go about finding the perfect location?

Offic2share.com is the perfect serach engine for me to begin my hunt. Their main focus is for small business - like myself - locate shared office space - or short term leases. They help out the small business owner make that big leap from "Home Offfice" into a "Real Office".

They recently ran a contest called "Home Office From Hell" - which if I had known about I am sure that we would havec won!!! {well ... after I throw back in all the stuff I've now got piled all over the dinign room!} The prize was free rent for a year in actual office space! And guess what - they'll have a second contest in the fall! Maybe I WILL enter!?!

The Houston Rodeo Returns

2006-07-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

"Mama don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys!"

Yep - cowboys are an incredibly dangerous breed I have been told. Then why is it that all of the cowboys in movies are so yummily sexy?

When I was a young girl – the year we moved from Scotland back to the United States – we headed out West for a week on a Montana Ranch. I had my own horse – Whiskey. It was only my horse for a week – but I fell in love with him hard and fast. I imagine that being a cowboy – you feel the same way. You’re out in the open air – in beautiful surrounding mountains – just riding along on your horse. I believe they call it moseying along.

At that time I thought it would be really cool to be a Girl Cowboy – to go to rodeos – to live the fast and dangerous life of the wild west. I went through my Billy The Kid stage – and was really into the romantic Villans of the West. Funny thing is – I’ve never actually been to a rodeo. So … today I decided to look one up and came across the Houston Rodeo!

This looks like a ton of fun! The concerts alone are worth the price of the Season Ticket! Sherly Crow, Maroon 5 and Lonestar as well as a ton of your Country Favorites – Toby Keith for one It’s three weeks of the best athletes in professional riding - all sheltered within the Houston Astrodome! The event started in 1931, and is kicked off every year with a parade through Downtown Houston.

The Houston Rodeo is consistently as the world's largest rodeo—in events, entertainers and spectators—and drawing top competitors searching for a piece of the world's largest regular season purse.

Now this …. This rodeo is the stuff that little girls {and big cowboys} dream of!

To Slide - or Not To Slide...

2006-07-07T08:18:00.000-05:00

I think that I'm the only person in the world who has never eaten a "Slider".

You know what I'm talking about - right? Those little tiny hamburgers from White Castle. They are in the shape of a square and are on a bun that looks more like a dinner roll. There's lots of diced onions on top - so I have to imagine that these things taste wonderful!

Still Looking For The Perfect Job!

2006-07-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

If you've read my Main Blog {www.willosweb.com/blog} then you'll know that I've been searching for a job for the past 11 months. Sure ... I took a few months here and there to help out with family emergencies - but it has been a total of 11 months since I last had a real job.

There's a new website available - A New Job - for job seekers with a new approach. The employers can post FREE job listings, and access employee residents and no charge. This is great - because it give the HR person an opportunity to review ALL the resumes - and not just do a hit or miss search on "keywords". They may be able to find my "diamond in the rough" resume and see that - hey - she may not have the exact experienec we wanted - but she's good!

The twist though, is that the employee has to pay a one time fee if hired by a company that utilizes this web site. While no one should have to pay a fee in order to find a job - I think that this might be worth it. If it means having an advantage over other candidates - that the HR personal are going to see my full resume rather than a snippet - I say sign me up!

all Taxed Out

2006-07-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

I know .. and you know ... that Tax Season for next year is still far away. But it's not too early to think about what type of Tax Software to use for filing. Or perhaps you're one of those procastinators who have yet to fill out your 1040EZ for 2005?!

eSmart Tax offers an online tax software product that's free for anyone to try. It's quick and easy to use, and takes the average consumer about 30 minutes to complete their taxes from start to finish. Remember - to be sure to have all your reciepts and forms available on hand BEFORE you begin. I've found that this slows down the tax preparation process considerably if you're not organized up front.

The web site looks easy enough to use - and it appears that all the forms and documentations will be available. So ... if you HAVN'T filed your taxes yet this year - why not give it a try? You've obviously been procastinating for a reason - let eSmart Tax lend you a helping hand!

Saving Local News!

2006-07-06T08:12:00.000-05:00

This next product will be great for my TV friends who are trying to find a better way to steam their video live to the internet. Please don't ask me any technical specifications on this product ... I don't know how it works. I'm just posting about it here so YOU can do the homework and find out if it will work for your needs or not.

epiphan Systems has developed a dual mode frame grabber than can broadcast high quality images and video to the internet from any sort of device with a USB connection and monitor. The best part is no PCI is needed - which eliminates that quality reduction you typically get when transferring graphically.

I almost wish I had this product when I was creating my video for the Biggest Loser. While my quality was pretty clean – there were some spots that became pretty pixilated when I uploaded the video to putfile.com . ALSO – for my TV friends – this makes making your Demo Reel that much easier! No need to “borrow” the station equipment – you can do your own dubs at home and wind up with better quality than if you had dubbed on the tired equipment in master control. The epiphan systems web site is all a bit too technical for me … but I am sure there are photogs out there who would eat this type of device up!!

The DVI2USB uses the USB port to capture output from virtually any VGA or DVI source - such as a Windows PC, Macintosh OSX, Unix machine, and more. It then broadcasts these images over public, private or broadband wireless networks, enabling remote almost instantaneous shots streamed live via the internet. Every TV station should have one of these – can you imagine? Satellite trucks would become a thing of the pass – just hook the camera into a portable laptop – shoot the story – and zap it live for broadcast via a simple USB port!

Amazing! Think of the money it would save? Then again … when have TV stations been up to date on the latest and greatest technology? It will probably take YEARS for them all to figure this one out. If you’re an Engineer at any local TV station – you have to check this out. You could wind up the hero at the end of the day – saving the company thousands and thousands of dollars.

Free Long Distance?

2006-07-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

So ... I've been reviewing web sites and new products for the past week - I'm sure you're wondering "What's Up With Hush Hush's old blog"? Well ... that's right - this old blog has become my "Product Review" blog ... so deal with it!

And I now have a new product for your purusal - it's actually kind of neat for those who never ever want to leave their PC to take a phone call. Seriously - if you're a big time web geek or gamer - you HAVE to see the advantages to this next product.

iCall is a telephone program that you load onto your PC - and with the use of a headset and mic - you can make phone calls right from your desk. You don't have to have phone service, you don't have to buy expensive phones, nope - all you need is an intenet connection, this software, and off you go! iCall uses your broadband connection - and you avoid long distance charges!

For anyone who gives this product a try - the company is offering a free iPod AND $100 cash.

A Pirates Life For Me!

2006-07-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

In my hunt for vacation attire, I stumbled across a new type of "flip flop" and thought - hey- these would be GREAT for the beach. These sandals are even better than flip flops - because there is a strap in the back - so the shoe won't fall off your feet when you sink down into the steaming hot sand!

Pirate Brand Sandals come in a variety of patterns and vivid colors. One of the best features - replcement straps! That's right - if your gets hold of these sandals and knaws through the strap - you just send away for another set of straps. OR- even better - you get tired of the neon Pink strap - send away for a different color and viola! Just like new sandals!

Besides ... everything and anything is about Pirates this Summer! Especially with Pirates of the Carribean 2 opening TOMORROW!

Online Passport Photo Booth

2006-07-06T07:38:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about the new Online Passport Photo booth? It's a really neat tool for anyone needing a new passport photo. Go check it out - it's fun to play with too! You upload any photo you have on your PC, then crop the photo so it only shows your face, and then you can download the photos to print on your own PC for free - or pay to have them print and shipped to you. It's that easy!

Blogs In Space

2006-07-05T18:03:00.000-05:00

It almost sounds like something you'd find on G4 or the Conan show ... Blogs In Space {imagine a fake echo here}.

You can have your blog submitted into the Great Vastness of Space. Be one of the first to have your thoughts read by interspace communication specialists from other worlds. Imagine what it would be like KNOWING your blog is one of the first forms of communication beings from other solar systems discover!! Think of the implications - your blog tells the rest of the Universe what EARTH is all about!!!!

Please ... just don't make any mention of Dubbya. Promise me that one thing!

Laptop or TV - why not both?

2006-07-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for a tray table of sorts to use for my laptop while watching TV. Currently I'm sitting my bum on the floor at the cofee table - and let me tell you - that is NOT comfortable AT ALL! Well .. I think I've found the answer!

TABLE MATE

Now - this handy-dandy table could be called the Modern Day TV Dinner tray. But it's update to fit our modern styles and needs. The best part about this - it folds up and collapses for easy stoage when you're not using it. The web site even tells me that I get this at $5 less than the advertised price - AND - it will ship in just a few weeks. Now that's a great deal!

Family Appreciation

2006-07-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have one of those days - when you wish you could trade in your hubby or wife? The show Trading Spouses kind of reminds me of this .... trading in for a newer model. Do you think the family learns to appreciate mom or dad more? OR do you think the spouse that was traded comes to appreciate what they have in a family more? Wouldn't it be funny - if the spouses traded - then didn't want to trade back!!! That would be a hoot!

Podcasting For N00bs

2006-07-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

I've been doing this blog thing for a while now - and have always wondered how to get into Podcasting. How it all works is beyond me - I don't even OWN an iPod!

But now-I found a website that will allow me to listen to Podcasts online! I don't need an iPod to tune in to my favorite broadcasts. It's a new website called Pluggd.com - I can search the site for podcasts that interest me, subscribe to the casts that I want to keep on listening to, and add new podcasts to my playlist whenever they become availble.

And my favorite part - the critic in me just loves this - I can REVIEW the podcasts and share my opinions with the rest of the Pluggd.com community! There's even a RSS feed to automatically update my blogs with the review - I don't even have to type it in twice.

This is a really cool site!

Over The Rainbow

2006-07-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

Tired of packing your fragile items in plain old bubble wrap? Do you want to spice up your ebay life? Are you looking for something to brighten up your day - AND - your packages?

Then you have GOT to try COLORED bubble wrap!!!!!

fast-pac.com has every kind of packing supply you can imagine - it's an ebayers best friend!

Road Trip - Asheville, NC

2006-07-02T18:48:00.000-05:00

My son and I are planning our next road trip - we're headed to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC. When I started planning the trip - I really had no idea where we wanted to go. I found a great web site for Vacation Rental homes - at Zip Vacations {The Biltmore Inn at $1000 a night was to much for my pocket book!}.

The site was easy to use and had literally thousands of Vacation Home Rental property listings from around the world. It was easy to navigate - I didn't have to sift though HUNDREDS of rental directors and lisitings. I could enter the exact criteria for the type of property that suited my son and I best. Then their site did the rest. If you're planning a vacation this summer - I'd give it a try. Vacation Rentals usually end up saving you more money than staying at a hotel.

New Arrivals

2006-07-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

Both my sister-in-law and cousin are expecting babies this year - and they were asking me to help them find unique birth announcements - something outside the norm. I stumbled across Babyshere.com - and found not only unique annoucements - but they were VERY affordable.

Starting My Own Business - Maybe

2006-07-02T18:33:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about starting my own online business - but I really don't know where to begin. I've seen a lot of positive things about Virtual Assistants - that would be something I could easily do from home. But what do I do first?! Where can I find help?!

Incparadise comes to the rescue! They take all the guess work out of applying for a buisness license - from the business application process to the filings, to paying for business taxes. They do it all! So perhaps my virtual business dreams are a REALITY!

Howard Stern - Ugh!

2006-07-02T15:49:00.000-05:00

I don't get why people tune into the listen to Howard Stern over and over and over again! It's tourture to me. Come on ... is it really neccessary to bring in Porno Stars and have them "perform" on air? Or send out a Little Person to intiate obscene actions on innocent little old ladies? I mean whatswithHowardStern?

PayPerPost - Now In Beta!

2006-07-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

I found a GREAT opportunity online for Bloggers everywhere - it's called PayPerPost! Basically, Bloggers from all over can log into this web site and earn REAL MONEY just for making a few posts. You get to decide which offers to write about - so you're not being forced to say things you don't want to.

The site is in BETA right now - so you're going to want to jump on board as soon as you can. I've decided to give it a try for one month and see if they really do pay for your posts! What harm could it do? If nothing else - you'll at least have an outlet for Post Ideas when you come down with Bloggers Block!

The Irony of Life & How F'd Up It Really Is!!

2006-04-04T14:07:00.000-05:00

I don't FRACKIN' believe it! I am so frustrated I could run up and down the street screaming at the top of my lungs right now.

I just heard back from the newspaper in regards to the position I had interviewed for several weeks ago - the one where I went to a second interview and then a meeting with the Big Boss.

Yeah - I DON'T BELIEVE IT - THEY HIRED AN INTERNAL CANDIDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{Yea - I was the #1 candidate until little miss internal candidate said - hey wait - I think I want that job}

I am cursed - that's it. I'm cursed. I am cursed.

And Dyckerson - shut the heck up! It is NOT FUNNY. {Ok - it's a little bit funny - but not today}

The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town

2006-04-04T07:39:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I discovered the local Union Rescue Mission seeking donations of Easter Baskets for the kids living at their Womens & Childrens home. We as a society are very generous when it comes to the Decemer Holiday Season - but we often forget other times of the year. When I came across this request I thought it was the perfect project to get the employees at my current company involved with - and we ended up putting together about 40 baskets for the shelter.

When I left that company the next year I continued to provide baskets for the shelter - with this year as no exception. I put together 10 baskets over the weekend and am getting ready to drop them off today.

People always ask me why I chose this Easter donation when I'm not a very religious person. I tell them it's for the kids - I still believe that kids need to have magic in their lives. What could be more magical than a Giant Bunny hopping around the world with baskets filled with candy?

Also - I was once a single mom. I could have ended up living in a homeless shelter myself - but thank goodness my parents were around to help me out. I can't imagine what life is like for some of these women - these families - who find themselves in need of help. I have met people in life - not so nice people - who feel that anyone living in a homeless shelter deserve to be there. That they have mental issues or drug problems. They've forgotten about the families that lost their jobs due to mass lay-offs; the families who have experienced major medical issues and lost everything to pay outrageous medical bills; the women who were abused and fled their homes - their lives - in order to protect their children.

And I enjoy making up the baskets - my own son is to old to appreciate the Easter Bunny. Perhaps I'm extending the magic of the holiday for myself - but that's OK. The fact that I put my heart and soul into creating the baskets makes them just a little more special. My only regret is that I can't see the faces of the kids when they discover the Easter Bunny has arrived. Maybe the first normal thing to happen to them since they arrived at the shelter.

You should look around your own community to see how you can help out. If there are no projects near you - look around the internet. I stumbled across Rosie O'Donnels web site last night - after her appearance on the Tonight Show. She has a great non-profit organization called For All Kids that could use some help.

Biggest April Fools Joke Ever - I'm still blushing

2006-04-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

Something tragically embarrassing yet completely hilarious happened to me today. I belong to a community that has a very active Home Owners Association. It was announced in the monthly magazine that Management had decided to spend $5.2 million on a Capital Improvement project connecting several of the lakes to allow for boating.

The lakes happened to be behind my home and when I read the article I was livid. I sat down and wrote a lenghty letter detailing my distress and anger over this decision - and sent it out to not only the Board - but several news outlets {you know - tv stations and newspapers)

I continue reading the rest of the neighborhood magazine and come across one that was titled "APRIL FOOL's". Yes - the entire lake connection thing was a farce and I just became the biggest butt of their joke.

I immediately sent out a retraction to the media saying I had fallen for a twisted April Fool's joke by the management and apologized for taking their time. THEN - I sent an e-mail to the management with a huge "APRIL FOOL's" followed by "Not a nice joke, now is it?"

Hopefully it made them all sweat a bit to think the news had been contacted. The embarrassment over the situation I feel - I won't be able to show my face around the neighborhood for months!

{I told you I was gullible! Anything I'm passionate about - I fall for hook, line and sinker!}

We Were Born To Love One Another

2006-04-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

I am a closet Monkees Fan. Yes - to this day I still sing my FAVORITE Monkees song in the shower - and I have a crush on the young Micky Dolenz.

I think my obsession started when we first moved to the United States from Scotland. There are three televesion shows I remember watching for the first time. They are: The Price Is Right, The Monkees and The Bannana Splits!

Even when I was young I had an obsession with music - so seeing two televison shows back to back on Saturday mornings about music was the best thing in the world to me!

The comedy in the two shows were enough to cause giggle fits in this little girl - and not only did my love for music grow - but I grew a love for all things from the 60's! I guess I should admit that I'm a closet hippie too - a peace loving beatnic!

I found the lyrics to my favorite Monkees song this moring - thought'd i'd post them here because they do fit the tone of our world today. It's time for us to stop killing, bring our soliders home, and just love one another -

For Pete's Sake

By Peter Tork and Joseph Richards

Love is understanding,
Don't you know that this is true.
Love is understanding,
It's in everything we do.

In this generation,
In this lovin' time,
In this generation,
We will make the world shine.

We were born to love one another
This is something we all need.
We were born to love one another
We must be what we're goin' to be
And what we have to be is free.

In this generation,
In this lovin' time,
In this generation,
We will make the world shine.

We were born to love one another
This is something we all need.
We were born to love one another
We must be what we're goin' to be
And what we have to be is free.

Love is undertanding, we gotta be free
Love is undertanding, we gotta be free
[Repeat and adlib]

Friday Featured Artists - 03-31-06

2006-03-31T08:09:00.000-05:00

I Talk Too Much!

Yes - MY blog has been reviewed by the ladies over at iTalk2much.com . While they gave me a measly 1 Slap - I decided to make them my Friday Featured artists.

Constructive Criticism is an artform - yet many critics never receive the respect that they deserve from their readers. The ladies at i Talk too much seem to have a good fan base - and I've received hundreds of hits on my blog even though I was reviewed poorly. Though I did find their comments lacked any constructive criticism at all during my review - nothing I could take to the drawing board and build upon - I have seen some good comments on other blogs that would help the budding blogger do a good redesign of their site.

What is i Talk too much? It is basically a blog written by a handful of women with too much free time on their hands! The naive blogger can submit their blog for review by the ladies in hopes for the coveted 5 slaps! Most recently - the sites receiving 5 slaps seem to be the ones that come up "Site Not Found" and "404 Error" - what does that tell you about their critic methods?

I submitted my site about a month ago for review - and it was then I decided to find a new template. Unable to find anything that fit my personality readily available - I decided to tackle a design myself. Well - apparently that was a HUGE mistake - which is why you are now looking at a generic blog template! I'm currently teaching myself CSS/HTML/XHTML - have purchased a new domain - and hope to have a brand new killer web site and blog up and running within another month.

Oh ... yeah - this review isn't about ME! I forgot - as do the ladies at i Talk too much. Though the reviews they offer are typically spot on - they do tend to talk about themselves just as often in their reviews as they do the web site they are reviewing. Which is sometimes a complete turn-off. Yet their fan base seems to enjoy every word.

I do give them props for coming up with a brilliant MARKETABLE blog. They have great money making potential there - but from all appearances it seems they are not taking advantage of that. Which is OK! For the true artists - it isn't about the money. It's about the art. And the art of critique these ladies have down pat!

I give them a 4 out of 5 on the Friday Featured artist scale. Sorry ladies - it would have been a complete 5 if you had offered something constructive in my review - rather just than saying the color scheme was bad. I do disagree with you on my writing - sometimes you have to read past the first entry to see what a blog is all about.

If you've got the guts to handle what these ladies dish out - you can submit your blog for review at italk2much.com.