I certified with West several weeks ago and took an hour or two of direct response calls - the ones from infommercials. I don’t like their operating system near as well as LiveOps but the call volume and money was very good. I prefer LiveOps to them for DR.
However, I did receive an invitation to join a popular cell phone like (the name is a black insect bug that chirps) and I certified for it over the weekend. I must say this line is fantastic! The calls are literally back to back which pretty much guarantees 60 minutes of talk time each hour and at this rate, it’s a cinch to meet my daily minimum. One must change their hat though because this *is* their customer service so you have to be ready to help and please the customer as opposed to simply taking an order. I plan to do this during the week and then LiveOps on the weekends. I just can’t give up that $15-18/hr on the weekends! LOL
There are many other lines at West and if you can suffer through a few weeks (couple hours only) of DR, you can get invited to them. For this reason, I highly recommend West.
January 23rd, 2007
Oh this day is tough already. I weaned off the sugar and today will be my first full day without it. The migraines have hit in the evenings but not severe, today will be different. Isn’t it awful how dependent our bodies can become? I plan to stay busy with housecleaning, farm chores, and working. Ed moved a nice hutch that wasn’t being used into my office so I have all the storage I need but it needs filled. All those binders will look so pretty when I finish!
We are still digging out from snow, or ice actually, and the high today will be near 30′ with bright sun so hopefully it will start to melt. I sure hope so.
Oh, and I learned out to cook on my woodstove! I made a pot of chili and left it simmering all day - it turned out wonderful.
January 17th, 2007
I’m going to start somersizing again. Sitting on my ass several hours each day is not allowing me to continue eating the foods I love. I can count calories and track my intake with the best of them, but I just love eating. LOL
Somersizing is based on food combining - healthy carbs are eaten without fat, healthy fats are eaten without carbs (other than veggies), fruit is eaten alone, sugar is eliminated. I lose weight very easily eating this way so it’s the easiest thing for me to do so I can embrace the full outdoor chore season that’s coming up.
What are you doing for the new year? What personal goals have you set for yourself?
January 16th, 2007
I have an entire desktop full of the greatest themes to switch it up over here and I’ve spent countless hours trying to customize them. Not a one will work. I will keep working on it.
And much like my family blog, I had a plethera of posts ready when I had a system issue and upgraded to IE 7.0 which caused me to lose all of them. Well the upgrade didn’t cost me, I’m sure it was the upgrade-er, me. LOL I think I have everything working now and am back in business. Cross your fingers.
January 11th, 2007
I downloaded a crapload of stuff yesterday for work and IE 7 was one of them. All my fonts look odd, I can’t work my favorites folder and I’m just feel like I’m about to break it.
Damn! I need to get this figured out because I’ve got like seven posts ready to load. I’ll try to get on it later today after work.
December 28th, 2006
I hate getting sick any time of the year but it’s especially bad the week before Christmas. I’m going back to bed with a cup of tea.
December 19th, 2006
I came across this post earlier http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/archives/2005/10/heres_a_pattern.html (I hope to have time to edit that in a few but I’m running late for work so it may be sloppy for a while) and it got me thinking - which is a Good Thing. I disagree with him completely about blogging for money so I thought I’d outline my thoughts here.
The question really isn’t how to earn money - that’s very simple - it’s in how much do you want to earn and what are you willing to do to earn it. This subject falls under “it’s all about categories” for me. Allow me to explain.
We all compartmentalize our lives and have different categories of activities and acquaintances. We have online friends, acquaintances, and mentors much as we do in real life. Add family, children, friends of family, customers, and their friends - well you’ve got got a lot of people in your life don’t you? OK, leave that one for now.
I personally think it’s HUMAN NATURE to come across a great idea or create a great product and say, “Wow! This is fantastic, I think I could make money off this.” (notice I did NOT say “get rich” off this) For example, I make soap - damn great soap I might add. Right now I’ve got about six batches of nearly 30 bars each and that’s a whole hell of a lot of bubbles sitting in my work area. I make it because I enjoy it and I enjoy making it for other people. I will NEVER get rich off making soap. Do I make enough money to buy the supplies, pay hosting fees, and a little extra? Yes, I do. Could I make more? Absofreakinglutely! If I ran all over the ‘net and businesses promoting myself and pushed it, I’m sure I could be making $1,000 or more each month. I know that because I’ve done it and it was a blast. But that’s not really where I want to be right now.
As I’ve mentioned, there are ads here on this site. Am I trying to get rich off this blog? No freaking way! I laugh at the idea. Have I made enough to pay for the hosting and a little extra? Yes. Could I make more money blogging? Sure! If I ran around promoting myself and really pushed it. Gee, that sounds almost like what I just said above doesn’t it? The point is, blogging can be rewarding for personal and professional reasons and you set the level at which you choose to blog. You can blog simply for personal reasons (I have a family farm site where I do just that) or you can blog to provide a service for readers, whether that’s entertainment, information, or whatever (I love doing three items with commas because it annoys a friend of mine. Bear with me.) It’s all up to you.
Personally I see nothing wrong with visiting a site with advertisements (other than popups and flyovers). If I want the information or service, I’ll suffer through it. And if it’s a blog I realize that the person is trying to make a little extra so I click on some of them to do my part. Are they scams? Uh….. sure, some are! I’ve actually found a few very good informational sites and several great companies through adsense. I’ve stopped myself from clicking ads on my own sites (against Google policy) and had to cut and paste it. The point is, I don’t begrudge someone trying to earn a little extra money by monetizing their blog and I don’t understand why anyone would have a problem with it either? Perhaps I’m just clueless to this?
I guess one can get judgemental and look down their nose at someone trying to earn money from a blog if they choose, it’s just not something I agree with. I visit blogs because I enjoy them and I support that writer by clicking an interesting ad or two. It’s really very simple. I guess I could show my support and allow them to earn extra money by writing a check but how many of us would actually do that?
I had a lot more to say but I’m now nearly late for work. I’ll try to get back to this tomorrow but it’s errand day then the busy busy weekend so it may be Monday.
December 14th, 2006
I don’t do pork chops very often because they are to be eaten battered, fried, and smothered in gravy. This does not bode well for one’s thighs. Or ass. There are times, however, when a fine pork chop can be heavenly - mainly when cooked correctly and the package was on sale for $1.18/lb. A Good Thing indeed.
Pork Chops
- 6 Bone in lean chops, salt and peppered
- 6 C white sauce (use lowfat if you must) made with 1/2 water and 1/2 milk
- Worcestershire
- Dash of cajun or other spicy seasoning
- Couple shakes of garlic
- Tabl. or so of dried, minced onion
Brown the chops in a heavy skillet with just enough oil to keep them from sticking. You’re not cooking them, just browning. And you’re using high heat. For this recipe the smoke alarm shouldn’t go off - that’s when we blacken something (another day). Put the chops into a large baking dish and cover with the white sauce (you’ve added the remaining ingredients to the sauce in the pan already because you read my mind - YOU’RE GOOD!). Cover with foil and bake 1.5 hrs at 350′. If these are thick chops add another 30-45 minutes.
If you serve potatoes you’ve got a fantabulous gravy and if not then you’ve got the beginnings of a great soup. As I do, for tomorrow. Try it. You’ll love it. And you’ll thank me. Well, except for R. She never thanks me.
December 12th, 2006
The holidays are right around the corner - we’re all busy with the season. The nicest thing happened to me today and I want to pass it along. I want to share it with you and savor it a while longer while the smile’s still on my face.
A stranger (well, we’ve commented on one another’s blogs a time or two) saw my post full of frustration regarding my budget on one of my other sites. I mentioned that I had found the software I thought would work for the new way I am trying to operate and I was planning to budget in the expense. Since I’d looked the software over on her recommendation she purchased it for me. When I opened my email and saw what she’d done my jaw just hit the floor. This is twice in a matter of months that internet acquaintances have done the most amazing act of kindess for me and my family. I’m truly speechless. I feel so ungrateful and inadequate because I know my response couldn’t have possibly conveyed my heartfelt feelings.
Earlier this year I wrote in our family blog how my husband had been given two years to live and I poured out my thoughts that come to the surface when a wife and mother is faced with news like that. Within a matter of days an entire group of farm bloggers got together and held a fundraising auction for us. Those funds paid the last of Ed’s medicals bills, bought the much needed part for his truck, paid our heating oil for a full year, and gave us some breathing room.
I’m stunned to the point of awkwardness by these gifts. The idea that people who’ve never met me, hardly know me, would do something like that….. I just shake my head. And then I cry. We don’t hear enough stories like this do we?
Don’t get me wrong, over the years I’ve helped people as I’ve been presented with opportunities. I know that warming in your heart you get when you just know how much something you did has helped someone. I know you’re paid back several times over just by the expression on their face or their tears. But I don’t want to focus on what I’ve done. I want to focus on those random acts of kindness that’ve been provided to me. I want to believe there are still people like that in the cold world we live in. And I want to smile as I think of them randomly during my days.
What have you done for someone else lately? What could you do to make someone smile or help them through a difficult time?
December 8th, 2006
It’s the holidays and while I realize it’s shocking to learn what we actually put into our bodies throughout any given day, sometimes it’s a necessary evil. Trust me on this. I was actually getting to the “buff” stage while working at Walmart and the change to my ass and thighs since returning home is not good, to put it mildly. Hard physical labor for nearly half of a 16 hr workday enabled me to eat damn near what I wanted and not only avoid weight gain, but actually continue losing. Bundle up and throw four pallets of freight in a subzero freezer for an hour and then get back to me. Ahhhhh. Good times.
Oh, anyway. Vacuuming or scrubbing the shower just isn’t the same so I’ve noticed a little tightening in the clothing. Always one to stay on top of pesky problems like this, I know just want to do. I grab my handy copy of Corinne Netzer’s, Dieter’s Diary and start a fresh week.
Girls if you’ve been looking for a great way to track your calorie intake, this is da bomb. There’s a page for each day and then summary page for the end of the week. The page is divided up by Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Total Calories, and Comments (to note exercise or other factors). But the BEST PART is in the back there’s a quick calorie guide and it’s got damn near everything you would be needing to figure up the calories. I’ve had to go to www.Fitday.com a time or two to look something up but mostly, it’s all right there. Small enough to fit in a purse or hang out in the office or kitchen counter and you’ve got yerself a great little item here. Not to mention it’s under $10 at www.Amazon.com. Get one. Tell ‘em Loopy sent you. If you buy this, you’re one step closer to being like me and, let’s face it, that’s what EVERYONE wants for Christmas aint it?
See, I do have a freaking sense of humor.
December 4th, 2006
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