Tom, You are NOT My Friend!

For awhile now, I dismissed social networking. I knew it was powerful, but I just didn't have time to figure it all out, and I confess, I still don't have time. However, more and more people keeping telling me how great it is, so I finally took the Myspace plunge today.

I was stumbling around, setting up my site (myspace.com/tammypowley), and I discovered I had some weirdo guy listed as a "friend" already and I was only two minutes into my set up. Panicked, I ripped off an email to a beady list I'm a member of, and then went back over to figure out how to remove this would-be-stalker from my friends' list.

Of course, once I started looking around more, I realized [[blush!]] that this guy "Tom" was the creator/owner of Myspace, so he is immediately added to your friends list when you sign up. Oy!

Do I have a learning curve here or what!?

Help a Girl or Two Out

My bead bud, Margot Potter, writes about more than just beads at her blog, The Impatient Beader. Recently she has a post, entitled "This Is Important Period," about a group of young women that really could use some help from other women.

I don't think I can explain it as well as Margot, who is a wonderful and inspiring writer, so I'm not even going to try.

Go, read, help...

P.S. A BIG thank you to Margot who is gutsy enough to write about this sort of thing.

Looking 4 Pro Bloggers

I'm putting my Executive Editor hat on. I've been blabbling about this all over the place, so I figured I should post it here as well since I have a few million readers here:

Company: Creative Weblogging
Job Title: Blog Editors
Description: Live blogs in need of editors right now:
http://www.gambling-weblog.com/ (7 posts a week/$225/mo comp)

http://www.bizplanhacks.com/ (7 posts a week/$225/mo comp)

http://www.tjacobi.com/ (5 posts a week/20 a month for $112.50/mo)

http://www.endzonebuzz.com/ (5 posts a week/20 a month for $112.50/mo)

http://www.digitalmusicfuture.com/ (5 posts a week/20 a month for $112.50/mo)

http://www.p2p-weblog.com/ (5 posts a week/20 a month for $112.50/mo)

http://www.igotspam.com/ (5 posts a week/20 a month for $112.50/mo)

Also, we are opening to talking to any experienced bloggers who have current high-traffic and high PR blogs (6+) in the following fields and may be interested in working with Creative Weblogging: social networking, business, finance, pregnancy. Considerable blogging experience is required. For those who have the level of traffic and quality we are looking for, compensation is negotiable.

Please send us a brief email to recruiting @ creative-weblogging.com requesting an application and specify which topic on the above list you are applying for

For more information about content requirements (no. of words, etc), and basically how it all works, see our Get Paid to Blog page.

English Professor Plans Meth Lab

Last week, for whatever reason, I had another one of my mega allergy attacks. I never know when they are coming or why they come in the first place, but about every 2 or 3 months, sometimes longer sometimes shorter, one will stop by for the day and drive me crazy. Usually, it means a day full of sneaking my head off and going through at least a few boxes of Puffs Plus.

So, today during my trip to the grocery store for my usually weekly stuff, I had the brilliant idea of getting some heavy duty Claritin-D to stash for any future attacks. I knew they were no longer in the regular spot and that I had to get them from the pharmacy, but geez! I felt like any minute a bunch of cop cars were going to roll up to the store with a blow horn, "We know you are in there English teacher slash writer slash jewelry designer. Come out with your allergy pills and you won't be hurt!"

I had to show my driver's license, write an extra check because I had to pay for them right there (not with my other grocery items), the pharmacist had to fill out paper work, and I had to sign something. I guess I was signing a form that said I would not go home, crack open the box of 5 pills I just bought for $6.99, and start a meth lab or something.

I found some info about this and a coupon (of course after I bought these darn things) on the Clartin web site:

Federal legislation takes effect on September 30, 2006 that imposes a deadline on moving allergy and cold products containing the active ingredient pseudoephedrine (PSE) off store shelves and placing them behind the pharmacy or customer service counter. This legislation will make it harder to find longer lasting allergy and cold decongestants. Interestingly, many allergy and cold sufferers surveyed were unaware of the changes both in the law and on the shelf product reformulations.

Some how I can't image this deterring any real drug dealers out there.

(image link)

DNA with Dr.Hsien-Hsien Lei

Fellow pro-blogger Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei has recently announced the birth of a new blog, Eye on DNA, and I just wanted to wish her the best of luck. Lei or Hsien, as some people call her, is a great writer who can really break down some intense scientific mumbo jumbo into verbiage that the average person can understand.

While it may not seem like DNA is related to fighting fat after 40, it actually has a lot more to do with it than you can image. I think many of us are predestined to a certain degree. Like it or not, as much as we can fight off the battle of the bulge, a lot of comes down to our genes and what our ancestors bestowed upon us, the good, the bad, and the fat.

Story Contest

One of my web writing buddies, Jo, is running a short story contest over at her blog, As the Romans Do. Entries should some how be connected to Italy:

I'm looking for short stories connected to Italy in some way. You're story could be based in Italy or have Italian people in it. Use you're imagination.

Find out the details over at As the Romans Do.

Fatand40 @ Squidoo

I discovered Squidoo recently so decided to put together a sort of library of exercise DVDs and other related stuff I've started to collect since my stab at getting fitand40.

Check out my new lens, as they call it: http://www.squidoo.com/fatand40/