Leftovers

I share today’s birthday with many friends. Having a inaugurabirthday makes it easier to remember special days like today. My fondest memory comes from 1981 when we watched the inauguration in social studies class. A TV in the classroom was an occasion in itself.

We saw the hostages freed from Iran and exiting the plane. We watched Reagan take oath with Mrs. Reagan looking on.

While we didn’t see many babies named Ron or Nancy, it wouldn’t surprise me if the following comic comes true in a classroom in 2014 (click to view larger).

I love that many parents take their heritage in consideration when they name their kids these days. It adds to the diversity that’s America.

My hope for this year is that thing economy turns around for the better and see more efforts to make peace and green our world.

Last links of 2008!

• Running an Effective Code Review: Exhaustive guide to software reviews.
• Ultimate 80s Movie Quote Quiz
• New Sidewalk Art photos: You’ve probably seen these before. New set plus the steps in creating one [Link: ThirdHyphen].
• Listropolis: All your lists are belong to us.
• Factory Balls: Addicting game where you create balls to match the ball on display.
• Snowflakes as you’ve never seen them before
• People who died in 2008
• The End

Photo credit Frankie Roberto

All fun links because we should all take a break no matter what we celebrate. Apologies for no Kwanzaa stuff. Couldn’t find anything fun. Happy Chanukah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Everything!

• Buzzwords of 2008
• I Do Dog Tricks: Enter ‘em all: sit, beg, roll over, speak, shake, lay down, sing, dance, and kiss.
• Coffee mugs of all kinds: Scroll down to see the story on various intriguing mugs.
• 54 oddball Christmas ornaments
• Dogs rockin’ around the Christmas tree
• 10 cars we want: in honor of my son who loves cars like these.
• Top 8 ways to make Hannukah Hanukkah Chanukah (you get it) cooler
• Bambi does the Dreidel song.
• Adam Sandler Chanukah song
• Fa La Freezing Chanukah song

Was inspired by with my mangling of “Let it Snow” into Let Us Blog. Since I use Twitter lots now, I thought we needed “Let Us Tweet.” Apologies again to Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, the composers of the original.

Also, Dragon NaturallySpeaking makes an appearance at the end of the post with both songs

MP3 of my mauling my own lyrics.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the monitor is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to retreat
Let us tweet! Let us tweet! Let us tweet!

Twitter doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I’ve done all my shopping.
Since the tweets continue to fleet.
Let us tweet! Let us tweet! Let us tweet!

I finally sign out for the night,
But please tweet me lots tonight.
So while I’m away from the keyboard,
I know that in the morning I won’t be bored!

The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, going offline we’re still defying.
But as long as you have some heat,
Let us tweet! Let us tweet! Let us tweet!

Dragon NaturallySpeaking version

Note: I trained the software on the words “Twitter,” “tweet” and “blog.”

Of the weather outside is frightful
Part-time monitor is so delightful
And skins we know place two weeks week
Let us tweaked that escalate bad us tweaked

Twitter doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I have done my shopping
Send a police continue to freaked
Let us tweaked that as two-week that us tweaked

Dominates signout for the night
That please tweaked me lats tonight
Self I’ll comment on my thumb the keyboard
I knows back in the morning I want the code

Faced I is slowly dying
Amide be was dealt defying
But at last I feel asked them he
Mattos tweaked let us tweaked let us tweaked

Let Us Blog the Dragon way

Oh the love for outside is frightful
Back the Monaco is so delightful
And since we’ve know plays to Jeong
Militarists blog let us log metas blog

Than nine dozen shows signs of stopping
And I gone to Amazon for is shopping
We play at the Mac doesn’t clout
Metas blog let us log that gossip blog

We find out I sign our Brooklynite
How I hate bellowing away from the keyboard
Fact is you’ll e-mail me lasts to my
Zen and the morning abruptly toward

The Frio is slowly dying
And my dear we’ll still ironing
Pat as long but as you have some Orlov
Let us allowed that as blog let us blog

• 64 B2B Marketing Tools and Resources
• Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words: No preparing to die… just to know the difference between lay and lie (not included… just had to rhyme). The Princess Bride, like Copyblogger says, icky title — great movie.
• Wiki of Social Media Marketing Examples
• GovTwit Directory: List of government peeps who use Twitter. I worked for US government right out of college. Wonder if I could’ve Twittered? Probably from home and not work. Didn’t find any from my agency in list. Nice name… “GovTwit.”
• Comment Forms Designs: Nice collection. Sure makes mine feel so 1990s.
• 2008 Eddies: Edublog awards.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Cake Wrecks: I could spend too much time on this blog.
• Coffee Art [Link: Nancy Duarte]
• 6 EXTREMEly overused game titles: Good stuff. I’d add “Deluxe.”
• Best Free Games to Play This Holiday: Games are a wonderful way to spend holiday time especially when playing with family.
• jackassletters.com: Real letters. Real replies.
• Top 12 Tech Embarrassments in 2008.

I love Terri Libenson’s The Pajama Diaries. My mom saves them for me since my local newspaper doesn’t carry the comic strip (I submitted a request for it). The strip revolves around freelancer Jill Kaplan, a mother and Jewish woman. That’s me. AND my maiden name is Kaplan. The following strip captures a day in the life of a freelancer except add PTA and volunteer work in there.

Click to view larger

Jill is an graphic designer, but most of the time the strip focuses on the fact she’s a freelancer working in an home office. Here you can see more examples. I would love to see the series come out in book form like Baby Blues, which I also love. I relate to the Pajama Diaries more from a career and balance work and home-life perspective. Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott do a lovely job capturing parenthood and children in Baby Blues.

It warms a gals heart to see all the flags flying at half staff to remember 9/11. This tragic event united us all. Here’s my story of this day in 2001.

• What Should I Read Next? Enter books you liked and get recommendations.
• 7 tips for covering your ass in business [Link: John]
• Your favorite writing blogs? Michael Stelzner wants to know. Me too, then I’ll add the missing ones to this post.
• 5 Web App Combos for Running an Online Business
• How to Write about Hot Issues: Something I don’t do… yeah, me wimp.
• How to Power up Your Blog by Being Opinionated: Me wimp again. Is there an opinion you’d like to hear my thoughts on? Can’t imagine why… but maybe it’ll encourage me to try.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Overheard in New York: Funny quotes.
• Indoor Climbing: Find an indoor climbing center near you. I had a blast at Exposure in Carrollton, TX.
• Kidzui: Internet for kids.
• Hundreds and hundreds of free BlackBerry themes. Best one: iPhone (not because of it being an iPhone, but it comes through clearest and easy on the eyes). Thank you, Matthew. Yeah, I have a new BlackBerry Curve.

One hour ago, I walked my youngest of three and his older brother to the school bus. They headed for their first day in kindergarten and fourth grade. While one kid went off to his first day of elementary school, the oldest headed to high school for volleyball practice and starting her first day of high school.

I sit here enjoying the silence not knowing what to do with myself though plenty of work waits for me. It’ll take a few days to return to the swing of things and follow a regular schedule. I can’t help but recall the the birth of my youngest and my excitement about the first day of third grade (I don’t know why I remember that particular year) that I took out my newest dress and shoes the night before.

Birth. Infant. Toddler. Pre-K. Man, I graduated high school 20 years ago this year! And here I am the mother of a freshman. I can’t be old enough for this can I? Where did the time go?

Despite new beginnings, I don’t feel different. Things just come and you go with the flow. But that’s not how it goes when I start working on the first assignment for a new client. That makes my stomach flip as I want to please the client. Be the more work I do for a client, the easier it becomes.

The 2008 Olympics end. I miss not having the TV on waiting for me to catch the next game, race, or performance. My sons took an interest in the games, which was nice as we all rooted for USA, of course. I remember watching the 1984 Olympics from a Texas A&M dorm while attending basketball camp. Hated to see them end last night with the final blow out, but all good things…

Joanna Young has a new beginning of her own. She moved to a new home and had to take a long break from blogging (10 days). We’re glad to have her back in our community and hope she enjoys her new home.

Any new beginnings in your life? How do they make you feel? How do you deal with them?

• 9 Ideas for a More Creative and Effective Brainstorming Process
• Driving Traffic Using Smaller Shots of Power
• Personality Page: Character Traits for Writers
• The ‘Get It Done’ Challenge for Freelance Writers
• Which Comes First, Your Book or Your Business?
• 5 Essential Ingredients In My Ideal Writing Weekend

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Want to know what it’s like to travel to Japan? Jamie points to The Stupid American Tourist.
• In memory of my dad, the baseball fan — one thing we shared. Switch pitcher meets switch hitter.
• NYC Panorama and Coney Island: Breathtaking photos.

Of to Austin for a PTA thingy. Yes, I’m one of them… a PTA mom and board member (three times over on both counts).