tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46273197674917924102024-02-18T20:18:29.316-07:00Philosophical wonder womanAll things artistic, pop culture and geeky, writing and various inspirations. Bipolar & anxiety disorder information. waxing philosophicalNiellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-76161237611504798102021-11-23T08:00:00.025-07:002021-11-23T11:23:22.395-07:00Charlie and the Magic Factory<div 15pt=""><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Supernatural fan fiction set in season 10</h3><div>Charlie and the Magic Factory</div>
By Nielle McCammon </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">It had been exactly 13 hours since Dean escaped Sam’s devil’s trap in the Men of Letters fortress. The Winchester/Crowley demon tag team so far proved to be an unstoppable force.
Sam had used every power at his disposal to trap Dean; dark magic, summoning other demons whose hatred of Crowley rivaled his own, devil’s trap bullets… </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam exhausted every lead; a success which lasted only an hour.
Unfortunately for Sam, demon Dean had a sharper mind; keen on exploiting what he knew from the Men of Letters’ secrets, sharing them with Crowley, and working in tandem to surprise Sam at every turn.
Not only did Dean have the power of Cain and the king of hell on his side, he also knew every trick up Sam’s sleeve, and the actions Sam would take based on instinct. And once an already-suffering soul has been twisted into a demon, residual brotherly love wasn’t something Sam was counting on. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam knew his only chance was to scour the archives and find something unheard of; a solution Dean would never see coming.
Sam knew Crowley and Dean had some master plan. Though the specifics were unknown, just before Crowley and Dean disappeared, Sam heard Dean say, “Time to light it up and burn this mother to the ground! Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em Sammy!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean obviously took great delight in anything that could remotely annoy or anger Sam. In fact, angering people gave Dean even more joy than ever before.
Sam was truly alone. No Bobby, no Garth, no Kevin and no hunters Sam trusted or knew well enough to trust with this problem. Castiel had been despondent when Sam was able to find him but now M.I.A., Sam knew he wasn’t an option for an ally either. Sam thought of calling Jody Mills, but he was not willing to put her in that much danger; especially considering Crowley’s attempted murder of her in the past. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Tirelessly digging through the Men of Letters archives, researching and reading until his eyes stung, a wave of despair washed over him, and he prayed to the God he knew had abandoned his children. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Please,” he said in a weak, cracked voice with tears beginning to well up, “please I just can’t do this on my own. Dean knows too much and he’s too strong. I NEED to save his soul. How do I do it? How can I possibly keep him trapped here? How? HOW!!!?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">His sadness turned to rage and he knocked over chairs, threw books against the walls, and scattered papers in every direction. Sam let out a vicious cry that would have been heard for miles were he not in the Men of Letters bunker. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">A bottle of “hunter’s helper” later, Sam began to stumble around the lonely floors of his fortress of solitude. Having no one else to talk to, he uttered drunken, slurred sentences loudly as if giving a tour.
“And here is where we saw ‘lil spirit Kevin when he was trapped in the veil after I killed killed OHH killed him good. Burned his eyes out annnn everything!”
He stumbled out of the kitchen down toward Dean’s old room, “and this is where Dean called me ‘Zeke’ and I had NO friggin idea why. Sonofabitch was ALWAYS a liar.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam passed a mirror and went back to look at himself. His hair was matted, his eyes bloodshot and his clothes were wearing him. His posture had begun to slouch significantly. He laughed maniacally saying, “I am a MOOSE! I am juuuuuust like a big drunk moose!”
Sam stopped laughing. He looked into the mirror intensely and began punching it until he could no longer see himself through the blood and shards of broken pieces. He wailed against what was left of the mirror, hitting it now with his whole body.
Leaving a trail of blood as he stumbled, he made his way down to the garage. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Aaaaand here we have the place where Dean and I were possessed by the wicked witch from Oz. Charlie kicked Dean in the jewels when he was tryin’ to get her. That’s aweeeeesome. Follow follow follow follow follow follow follow follow the yellow brick rooooooooad!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam looked at all the cars in the garage that were never used. He picked up a nearby crowbar and was just about to start smashing when all of the sudden he heard whirring and buzzing nearby. He swayed and lost his balance, hitting his head on the front of a car bumper, and fell to the ground, slouched over in confusion and pain. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Through the cracks of a door, air and water started bursting through with bright green rays pouring in also.
With a mighty bang of wind, water and green light, the door burst open, someone stepped through and said some strange words, which stopped the storm and closed the door. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam, now wet, wind-blown and still covered in blood, lifted his head to see a thin, yet muscular woman with short, spiked, messy red hair, carrying a large bag, and a sword sheathed on her belt.
As she walked closer into the light, Sam thought he was dreaming or hallucinating to see Charlie, clad in tight brown pants, tall leather boots, and a fierce presence like a warrior.
“Charlie?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam felt sick and could barely sit up. Everything went dark.
Sam woke in the garage with pillows under him and someone cleaning and bandaging his hands. He winced in pain as the sting of alcohol seeped into his wounds. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt=""> “Sorry!” A kind, familiar female voice replied. </div><div 15pt=""> “Boy Sam, you really did a number on yourself. It’s a good thing I got here when I did. I would have moved you to your room, but you know, even with your major weight loss, you’re still too much man for me to move.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam tried to sit up but nausea washed over him and he fell back to the floor. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“EASY tiger. Just relax. Time for ME to rescue YOU. Again.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam focused his eyes on the face over him to see the smirk of their beloved hacker, LARPer, and transplanted Oz resident: Charlie. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Charlie… I can’t believe it. How did you… Was that a storm? Do you have the key? Why are you here? You look so different. What’s…Why...” Sam’s weakness got the best of him and he ran out of breath. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Shhhh… I know, it’s amazing to see me and I look bitchin.” </div><div 15pt="">Charlie smiled sweetly, dabbing dried blood off Sam’s face. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Don’t talk Sam. You need to get your strength and sobriety back. I’ll fix up your hands the best I can. But even in Oz they don’t have a hangover cure.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Let me try to sum up a little bit for you while playing nurse. I know powerful wizards in Oz. No not THAT wizard. He’s a total d-bag. I met wizards, wise folk and animals found in the oddest places, good witches, fairies, and creatures you can’t even begin to imagine,” Charlies eyes danced and sparkled as she talked. </div><div 15pt="">“The magic of Oz is vast and completely different from this realm. Of course I couldn’t use my mad tech skills, so I became obsessed with magic and ways of using it to help people.
After a while, peeps from all over started seeking me out because of my unique… life experiences mixed with this mastery of Oz magic. Not to brag, but Dorothy still calls me a genius. She sends her love, BTdubs. </div><div 15pt="">Eventually, I started having visions in my sleep. A blessing AND a curse let me tell you. But I could help people, and that was really cool. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">A couple weeks ago, I dreamt of Dean, with black eyes, trying to kill you with a sword. Then I saw you alone and literally felt your emotional and physical pain, and I knew… I knew I had to come back. Things are worse than normal aren’t they? It’s not just monsters. It’s way bigger.”</div><div 15pt=""> </div><div 15pt="">Sam wanted to tell her everything, but lacked the strength. Tears started to well up in his eyes and he lifted his sore, bandaged hand to touch her face.
“Oh Charlie,” Sam’s voice breaking and weak, “you have no idea.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam must have drifted off, because when he woke, Charlie had returned with some water and crackers, and was subtly force-feeding him.
She started talking first so she could crumble crackers into his mouth. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“So, let me tell you a little more while we get you back up to functional strength ok? </div><div 15pt="">Dorothy needed to keep the key into Oz in order to protect it. We have it bound and locked in a secure location protected with a hybrid of magical spells I designed, and only a few of us know how to undo it. There are too many things out there who want that key. Trust me, you do NOT want them getting in here.
Lucky for us, there are other ways in and out of Oz. I opted for the eye of a hurricane. It’s not as complicated as it sounds. </div><div 15pt="">I’ve gone full-on Hermione and can summon a hurricane here in order to get back there when I need to.
Dorothy wanted me to enter back into this dimension in a back-woods place way far from here, but I wasn’t gonna waste any time. I knew my boys needed help ASAP and I don’t have time to find a car and throw days away driving to you. Plus, no teleporting here. Total drag.
So, I consulted everyone I knew, every spell book I could get my hands on, and invented a spell. A spell transporting me from Oz via hurricane to a direct location, here, using the coordinates plus the essence of your soul.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam’s head perked up and he said, “Whoa essence of my, how did you…?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“That’s another story big brother. We’ll get into the nifty spellwork later.
Anyway, if I want to get back there, it’s gonna take more research since magic there is so strong, and here… not so much.
What I need, is for you to get some strength back so I can help you to your room. Then, you can recover and fill me in on the crazy lives of Sam and Dean. </div><div 15pt=""> I also need to go into mad research mode because my newly acquired magic skills may not work here… at least not the same way. Actually, I have no idea what will happen using Oz magic here. </div><div 15pt="">I could accidentally reenact Mickey’s ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ But I figure, hey, biggest supernatural library in the world… it’s a magical wonderland!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie tried to be her normal peppy, snarky self, but even in his weakened state, Sam could see right through her; how scared and concerned she was.
Sam began to feel a little better as he sat up slowly and sipped water cupped between his bandaged hands. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“OK I can walk. Let’s get upstairs.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">It wasn’t a pretty picture, but eventually, limping and leaning on Charlie, Sam got to his room and fell into bed.
After some sleep, a little food, and a lot of water, Sam told Charlie the whole story of how things had led up to the current situation. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie let out a sigh as her eyes filled with tears, “Sam, I’m so sorry. But you’re not alone anymore. We’ll figure this out. You and I, together.” </div><div 15pt="">She stood up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. </div><div 15pt="">“Now, what do you say we get into Hogwarts-mode and skim that ginormous library to find the fairy magic section? I have some ideas I think will help. Does this place have a lab? And spell supplies?”</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Charlie…” Sam stood up slowly, looking at the determined, feisty woman so drastically transformed, yet still so true to her integrity and loyalty. He became overwhelmed with affection for her as the sister he never knew he wanted. Now she was the family he desperately needed.
“Charlie.” She stopped talking and turned around to see Sam looking at her with adoration.
He walked over and enveloped her in his arms. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">They stood hugging for a few moments and he looked down at her and said, “I love you.” </div><div 15pt=""><br />“I know,” she smiled. “OK, new plan. You go shower and brush your teeth, I’ll start the research.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam emerged clean-shaven to see Charlie in the main research room furiously typing on his laptop, surrounded by large volumes of old dusty books. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Ah - MUCH better Sam!
Dude, I cannot tell you how good it feels to use your laptop. Even just the typing is orgasmic. I’ve already cross-referenced, finding three websites that’ll help us, and hacked into their private repositories. It’s taken all my self control not to just surf online and catch up on pop culture. Hey, did you finish the Game of Thrones books?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam smiled. </div><div 15pt="">“So where’s your sword? You’re looking more like a hunter than a woman of letters now. And that haircut? Wow.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“What about it? It’s way more practical when you’re on the bricks. Plus, living in a fairy realm, I thought it was fitting to have a pixie cut.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“No I’m just saying - you look amazing. On the bricks? Oh, travelling on the brick road, right.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“As for the sword… Well, you know me, I prefer wielding the power of my mind. But, there are monsters in Oz too, so Dorothy became my Mr. Miyagi and I learned how to fight. Some of the nasty creatures fly, so that takes crazy skills I didn’t have. Of course there are the winged monkeys, Raks, Orks, Kalidahs… Luckily I didn’t see a Rak. But those damned monkeys are everywhere, and pissed at me for killing their boss.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Oh,” Sam interrupted her, “You asked about a lab and magic supplies. I found a room a while back just before I summoned Dean the last time. It’s fully stocked with everything I think someone would need for spells; at least the kinds of spells I’ve read about. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">He sighed, “I used everything there I thought would keep Dean trapped, but no luck.”
Sam walked Charlie to a floor below the garage pushing open a secret door hidden behind more books. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Man this place is a trip,” Charlie smiled. “Where are the moving staircases and talking pictures?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam flipped on the light to reveal a laboratory the size of the garage, full of shelves stocked with vials, bottles, boxes and books. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Holy awesome,” Charlie walked around, scanning the shelves and set down her canvas bag. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie started taking things from her bag; leaves, flowers, containers of powders, what appeared to be types of hairs, and a giant leather-bound journal with other organic things pressed into the pages. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“I brought along rare and powerful magic ingredients from Oz. These things have enough potency to last a year. But I’m guessing in this dimension, it’ll take a lot more juice to work our mojo.
I’m going to do a couple tiny experiments mixing existing spell supplies from this lab with the ones I brought, to test a theory I have about a way to hold Dean indefinitely. I just need to be careful not to use too much of the Oz supplies in testing, but we need to make sure it’s going to work. We don’t want a pissed off demon Dean on the loose in here. Again.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“What can I do?” Sam said, feeling useless.
“YOU… need to go back to the library and grab all those books I pulled along with the laptop. I started writing a spell to bind a demon based on things I brought that can immobilize most creatures, and will combine them with ingredients I’m hoping I can find in here.
Problem is, I’m not exactly sure what to use from this lab, which is why we need those books and the data I hacked to put this puzzle together. I mean, I have an idea of the kinds of things we need, but every nuance can change the outcome of a powerful spell. I need your brain power too. Hard to infiltrate this Ministry of Magic with information written by Muggles."</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">When Sam returned with the books and laptop, he saw white sparks flying, red light shoot across the room, and purple liquid dart toward him in the doorway. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“DUCK!” Charlie shouted. She giggled nervously. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Charlie’s bright red hair standing straight out from her head. She looked like she’d been rolling around in colored chalk, and residual sparks seemed to be dripping from her fingertips. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“I’ve got good news, and bad news; depending on how you look at it,” Charlie chirped. </div><div 15pt="">“The good news, is that my test with the hybrid Oz/Earth elements was a success. I have a good feeling that with the right spellwork and mixture, we’ll be able to trap Dean and keep him here as long as necessary.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“And the bad news?” Sam asked nervously. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“The bad news… As I feared, the things I brought back from Oz have to be used in larger quantities here, so we pretty much have one shot at this, and can’t do any more testing.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie looked over at Sam, empathizing with his continued sadness and worry. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“But hey, it’s not the first time it’s come down to that right? You guys have gone out on a limb a bunch of times and saved the frakin world. I mean c’mon Sam! Buck up! We can do this!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam poured over books while Charlie typed on the laptop. They brainstormed, read, researched and wrote for several hours. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Oh. My. GOD! Sam! I’ve got it!”
Sam perked up and looked at her laptop screen. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Magic Belt? What’s that? And essence of my soul? You said you’d explain that.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“The Magic Belt grants one wish a day, plus has other protective powers. Ozma stole it from the Nome King and gave it to Dorothy, who loaned it to me. Now... the Magic Belt theoretically only works in Oz, but if my theory is correct, the magic essence of your soul combined with the protective power of the belt will seal the deal when Dean is hit with the potion.
I’ll need the belt to go back to Oz, but you’ll wear it for this ritual.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam looked at the belt around Charlie’s tiny, toned waist. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Magical Belt Sam. It’ll adjust to your size,” she smiled. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“And the soul… essence?” Sam stammered. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“THAT, is much easier than you’re thinking. In Oz, when a spell calls for the essence of a soul, it’s tapping into pure energy; the intention of the spellcaster toward the recipient of the spell. Based on everything I know from you two and your history, the energy and intention will be easy to extract. It’s kind of like Peter Pan… think happy thoughts, and you’ll fly. Easy as pie!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam looked at her blankly. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Just trust me Sam. We’ll word it into the spell and when you’re chanting, you’ll focus your energy into your purpose and to the pure love for your brother as he was. It’ll work. I know it.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie sounded like she was convincing herself as much as she was encouraging Sam. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Alright then,” Sam said with the first glimmer of hope he’d had in a long time. “Let’s do this.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">After several more long hours in the lab, Charlie and Sam started gathering weapons and preparing the ingredients for the ritual to summon Dean. Angel blades, bullets made from angel blades, guns loaded with devil’s trap bullets; anything that a demon would fear. An angel blade bullet in the foot had to hurt like hell for a demon. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam looked at a watermelon-colored powder in a bowl Charlie carried.
“Poppy powder,” she said without missing a beat. “Well, that mixed with a few other things from your uber-lab. It won’t last long, but it will stun them long enough to buy a little time.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Charlie, are you… psychic now?” Sam was continually impressed by her leadership and knowledge. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie giggled. “I wish. No. I mean, I’ve always been intuitive. And let’s face it, women are superior when it comes to that skill anyway. But since these visions started… I don’t know. I just feel like I can tune into each individual’s radio station perfectly; without static. Like my senses are heightened. Extra Spidey sense, if you will.” She smiled. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">After cleaning up, they sat down to eat and strategize. Both of them were too charged on otherworldly energy and anticipation to be tired.
Sam sat thoughtfully, trying to work through the details of madness in his life. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“The Father we talked to before I tried to cure Crowley, told us a demon is a human soul, twisted from its time spent in hell. But Dean.. he went to hell a while ago, and he came back fine. More or less. And this time, he just… died. He didn’t go to hell he just, turned into a demon. I guess he was living hell on earth and Crowley gave him the push he needed. The Mark of Cain, the First Blade, and Dean’s hell on earth; the unholy trinity, making the next generation Knight of Hell.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Wait,” Charlie perked up. “You’re saying Dean just died and then, was a demon? Does that HAPPEN? I mean, that’s got to be to our advantage somehow. You guys are the exception to every rule. You defy every law; natural AND supernatural. Once we get Dean trapped, you know how to cure him, and you’re not undergoing the trials, so it won’t kill you right? At least, not in theory!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Yeah, maybe. But the thing we have to worry about first and foremost is keeping Dean here. Once his new BFF realizes he’s gone, Crowley will start plotting ways to get him out.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“But you said this place is warded against demons right?”
The wheels in Charlie’s head were spinning rapidly. “If demons can’t get in, how is Crowley a problem?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Trust me,” Sam gritted his teeth, “Crowley’s ALWAYS a problem.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“OK,” Charlie said with calm determination, “We’ll just have to be ready for him. And then, you’ll kick it in the ass like you always do.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div 15pt="">The time was fast approaching to begin the summoning. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie, cleaned up and looking fierce, sat in the corner deep in thought, sharpening her sword. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam walked over to examine it.
“What kind of sword is that? I’ve never seen that type of metal.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Pretty sweet eh?” Charlie sat back basking in pride. “The imprisoned nome fairies continued to mine for precious metals, even after the Nome King was stopped.”
Sam sat down, transfixed by Charlie’s stories.
“Ozma was brought a large chunk of metal unlike any other found with the antiquities underground. When she touched it, it glowed green and vibrated in her hands.
It was Dorothy’s idea to melt it down and forge into a sword for Ozma to use, but as it turns out, anyone truly worthy of wielding it, can use its power. Just like Thor’s hammer - can you believe it??
So naturally I thought of Zelda and other mythical swords and speculated about its power here, and Dorothy reluctantly agreed to let me bring it along. FYI, really good and slicing and dicing monkeys.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie squealed with laughter and Sam sat silently, looking blankly at her. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Anyhoo… could come in handy right? Nothing like testing hypotheses to make a geek girl giddy!”</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">They both looked at each other for a moment, no words spoken, knowing the time had come and both worked up the will to begin.
“I guess it’s now or never huh,” Charlie said with her first hint of fear since she’d returned. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam exhaled slowly, “Charlie, Dean is going to use every ounce of personal ammunition he has against you. He’s going to exploit any residual feelings you have for him in order to hurt you; to deter you from what we’re about to do. You need to prepare yourself, and remember the truth.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Sam, after all this time, are you really underestimating me now? Yeah, it’s gonna suck seeing him this way. But I’m determined. I love him too, and we need to get this done. Do or do not - right?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Also,” Charlie stood up, took off the Belt and handed it to Sam, “I’m going to need this back as soon as it’s done the job for you. I’ll grab it, make a run outside with my gear to get the hurricane up and running so I can go back to Oz for more supplies. Technically, our potion should hold him for a long time, if not indefinitely, but better safe than sorry.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“OK,” Sam said with strong determination, “It’s time.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">In the dungeon, Sam scattered bits of things from Oz around the devil’s trap; sparrow, hawk and monkey feathers, unicorn, gump and fairy hair, and creepy things about which Sam didn’t want to know the origin.
He began the ritualistic chanting of the all too familiar demon summoning spell.
To his shock and horror, Dean and Crowley appeared together. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">As if on cue, Dean and Crowley cackled a taunting laugh and yelled, “MOOSE!”
Without hesitation, Sam pulled out the gun filled with devil’s trap bullets and shot each one of them in the head. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean laughed again, “Oh Sammy Sammy Sammy… Those don’t even sting anymore. Haven’t you learned your lesson by now? You know we’ll be able to dig those out eventually. You know how easy it was for me to get out last time. What could you possibly do to hold us here?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">In steps Charlie with fistfuls of poppy powder that she blows into the faces of Dean and Crowley, “Abracadabra bitches.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Faces covered in pink powder, Crowley looks at Dean and says, “What in hades is this?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam wastes no time chaining Dean in the demon trap cuffs and hands Charlie another set to put on Crowley. Sam takes a link chain he’d also carved with pentagrams, and locks the two of them together. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean spits out powder and rapidly blinks his eyes. “Charlie!?? Well damn, little sister! Check you out Xena warrior Oz princess!”
Dean looks over at Crowley and mimics the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West, “Poppies... Poppies will make them sleep. Sleeeeep.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Crowley looked at Dean blankly.
“Sheesh, who’s the meathead now? It’s poppy powder you moron! Charlie’s been to Oz and she brought back poppies. Like that’s gonna hold us,” Dean snickered.
Dean laughed again. “Sorry Charlie. I ain’t sleepin. But I’m kinda tingly. I like it, sister.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie stepped closer to Dean, her hand clutching her sword so tightly she could feel every muscle in her arm tighten.
Her eyes narrowed and she grimly whispered, “I’m not your sister, and you’re not Anakin Skywalker. You’re Darth Vader now, and your side always loses.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean’s laugh echoed throughout the dungeon. The corners of his mouth snarled into a vicious grin and his eyes turned black. He started breathing in and out emulating Darth Vader. “Come to the dark side, Charlie. We have things WAY better than cookies.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam motioned to Charlie to step back and she did so reluctantly, never taking her angry gaze off Dean. She would have blasted Dean with holy water if it wouldn’t wash off the poppy mixture. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“I like this tart, Sam,” Crowley said with his usual jocularity. “She’s got enough balls and brains for the both of you.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“So what...” Sam looked fiercely at both of them, “Are you two the Wonder Twins now? Is there new material for the Supernatural slash fans?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“He wishes,” Dean’s gruffly chortled.
Dean and Crowley exchanged awkward glances. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Why would we tell you anything, Moose?” Crowley smirked. “We’re always going to be leaps and bounds ahead of you. You apparently have your little schemes and secrets. You don’t see us torturing you. We’re taking what we deserve in a civilized manner. It’s only cretins like you, insistent on defying superior power, causing the mayhem and bloodshed.” </div><div 15pt="">Crowley looks over at Dean and rolls his eyes. “OK, maybe HE likes the mayhem and bloodshed. Actually Dean, this is the happiest I’ve seen you in, well, ever.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Yeah, now that I’m dead, I’m really livin!” Dean’s hoarse, sarcastic voice grated on Sam’s nerves with every word. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“See Sammy, I hated myself all my life. Everyone I loved, I got killed. But now... now that I don’t give a crap, damn this world feels good!
Don’t you remember Sammy? Life without a soul? Simple. Free from suffering. Doing the job was easier and you were better at it. And you wanna, what? CURE me? Cure me of what?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“You aren’t soulless Dean,” Sam sternly replied, calling on all his patience to react with logic and not fly off the handle.
“Your soul is corrupted. Your life isn’t free of suffering. You inflict the suffering on innocent people. Your putrid, rotting, sick soul is the crap you fought and hated your whole life. You’ve become the monster that killed our parents and grandparents." </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean kept grinning while he and Sam stared at one another. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Crowley looked back and forth at them as if he felt left out of the broment. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Enough talking Sam,” Charlie walked in with two tranquilizer dart guns and handed one to Sam.<br /><br />“Charlie,” Dean crooned, “Just look at you darlin. Now why are you so mad at me? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I convinced you to kill your mom, now does it?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie’s eye twitched. Dean knew just how to push her buttons. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Did ya do any fairy banging in Oz? Cuz your new look, that’s some next level material there. I bet you like to dominate now, am I right? Is this your new thing? S & M in dungeons? C’mon you can tell me. You’ve got two very naughty guys chained up down here. How about we share some dirty stories?”<br /><br />“SHUT. UP!” Charlie raised her sword and green light radiated, shocking Dean’s whole body and leaving a gash on his arm. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Crowley’s eyes lit up. “Impressive, love. Our first order of business when we get loose will be taking that magnificent, mystery sword. The second, obviously, will be getting you to join our little gang. You my dear, are far too valuable to kill. Such fun we’ll all have together. Three’s Company.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Enough talking,” Sam looked over at Charlie. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Agreed.” Charlie felt that little banter was just the right amount of motivation she needed to do whatever had to be done, even if that included kicking Dean’s demon ass all the way to Oz. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie brought Sam a piece of paper and a large bowl filled with spell ingredients. Sam set down his tranquilizer gun filled with one dose of immobilization potion. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Remember Sam,” Charlie whispered in his ear, “When you’ve finished the final words, you begin the chant that focuses the essence of your soul. It’s vital that you remember moments in your life with Dean, times which created an unbreakable connection, the love that bound you to him forever.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“But what about Crowley?” Sam started to panic. “This final part won’t work on him. I have no soul connection to Crowley. How are we going to make sure he stays bound?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“I have a theory about that,” Charlie whispered quickly, “Your blood. He got addicted, right? You said you still had vials of it stashed away back here. While you’re finishing the final chant with Dean, I’ll stun Crowley with the Oz blade, inject him with as much blood as possible, and will finish the binding spell on him.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Will that work?” Sam asked, pulling Charlie further away from the chained duo. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Do you have any other ideas?”
Charlie and Sam looked at each other, giving the silent nod. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Dean broke the silence.
“Hey Shaggy! Velma! I ain’t feelin very tingly anymore. In fact,” Dean appeared to be getting loose from one of his cuffs, “You’re about to be in for a world of hurt. You know you can’t hold a KNIGHT OF HELL!” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie and Sam burst back into the room. Sam picked up the bowl and paper and began reading the spell; written in a hybrid of languages of fairy magic from the Men of Letters’ library, and spells Charlie wrote from Oz.
While Sam was reading and scattering the contents of the bowl inside the devil’s trap, Charlie ran to where Sam’s blood was stored and found three loaded syringes to use on Crowley.
Sam’s reading became louder and faster, as he noticed that Dean was making some progress getting the chains loosened. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie, remembering her writing well, joined in speaking with Sam and also cast spell ingredients into the devil’s trap. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Now it was time for the chant to tap energy from Sam’s soul. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Except this time, Charlie needed to channel her own soul’s power in the hope of reaching any lingering humanity in Crowley. </div><div 15pt="">The words came from an Oz native tongue, but were oddly similar to religious chants used by churches in the middle ages. Charlie had discovered the etymology and connections between realms, both meaning a meditative state to draw out the holy; the most pure of intention. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Though Charlie had no love for, nor connection to Crowley, she trusted her own quest for right, and hoped that would be enough to see through the layers of his evil to a deeper purpose. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">With 3 syringes of blood clutched in her left hand and the sword in her right, she rushed Crowley and began to stun him with the sword of Oz. His whole body started to spasm and Charlie dropped the sword to inject him with the first dose of Sam’s blood. She chanted along with Sam, hoping the blood would once again trigger a human response. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Meanwhile, watching Dean struggle, Sam kept an intense focus on Dean’s eyes, now black, all the while chanting and remembering every single moment in which they had saved one another. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam flashed to times when the brothers brought one another out of the darkness. He lingered over memories that to another person may have seemed trivial, but meant something more to the brothers; like having a beer, sitting on the Impala. Having a Christmas together, vowing to save one another over and over, stopping the apocalypse… </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam remembered each experience with Dean in a visceral and spiritual way. While chanting the phrase repeatedly, he sent thoughts to his brother who was now growling and shouting.
<i>Remember Dean</i>. <i>We are each other’s family. There ain’t no you if there ain’t no me. We break every rule to save each other and we never give up</i>. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">From each memory, Sam sorted through the pain to send only the love they shared through his words.</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie was done injecting Sam’s blood into Crowley’s neck, stepped back and picked up her tranquilizer gun.
She and Sam were still chanting as their eyes met, and he picked up his gun containing the same purple liquid.
Sam and Charlie’s words and thoughts were in now sync, and seemed to echo through the room which was vibrating.
“NOW!” Charlie yelled. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie aimed at Crowley and Sam aimed at Dean’s heart, and they let loose the darts; the final step.
The potion injection hit them with neon purple blasts.
At that moment, a green light radiated from the Magic Belt Sam wore, beaming straight into Dean’s eyes.
The force of it knocked Sam down and he watched a stunned Dean writhe as purple moved through his veins and green light lingered on his eyes.
Charlie watched Crowley who was also in shock and squirming with purple moving through his body. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">In another blast, both Crowley and Dean were surrounded in a cocoon of purple light and unable to move.
Sam and Charlie looked at each other in disbelief. They stood there, watching the pair of demons for a few minutes, making sure they stayed in stasis. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“We did it, Sam. It’s time for phase two.” Charlie smiled and Sam weakly smiled back. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie picked up her sword. She looked Dean in the eyes and he mumbled, “This….won’t….hold….me….for...ever.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“We’ll see,” Sam said as they turned to leave and he shut the cell doors behind them. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">As Sam and Charlie continued to walk in silence, both of them collapsed on the ground. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Charlie woke to Sam’s voice and slowly sat up, seeing double and feeling woosy.
“Yup, that’s magic for ya,” Charlie slurred. “One hellofa ride… especially when soul stuff is involved.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt=""> “So now…” Sam paused. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Now,” Charlie’s head started to clear, “I get back to Oz quickly, gather more supplies, and come back to help you. Next phase, cure Dean. Right?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“You make it sound so simple,” Sam smiled. “But what are we going to do with Crowley?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“That’s really up to you, Sam. Is there any point in keeping him around? Isn’t he the one that started Dean down this path? Why not just exorcise him?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam was conflicted. Crowley still had valuable knowledge, but using him for information had always come at a price. Most recently, the biggest price of all. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">“Well, while you figure that out, let me go gather my things and prepare for the journey back.” Charlie stood up slowly, feeling light-headed.
“Whooo and maybe a little food is a good idea too eh Sam? Sam? Are you OK?” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam stood up and hugged Charlie. “Yeah. I’ll be OK. Especially now that I have the smartest person in the universe on my side.” </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">Sam smiled, took off the Magic Belt and handed it to Charlie.
They left the dungeon, not noticing the purple sparks coming from underneath the dungeon cell door. </div><div 15pt=""><br /></div><div 15pt="">THE END
</div>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-29381336518851328442021-07-06T09:49:00.001-06:002021-07-06T09:49:28.415-06:00Who am I?How to be yourself when you don't know who you are....<div><br /></div><div>Not knowing, that insecurity, is what keeps us open to possibilities. </div><div><br /></div><div>Who I'm not... look at the wisdom of the pain that comes with insecurity.</div><div><br /></div><div>An idea...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOI8oy_7T7-E7HKrZPZkM9wfQmIBmhBWKz63cFHM5MxI-m4psfmTkFJ6EC8kxjE1oaU8R8WBaRZjuwXxkkG5fXKwY0ChmEC2nl-ion4BnRoaxXBN5ffBAQBiDP8n_tCIt3aWkKVRP5SY/s1280/r3ix35vgxlnbkodvqail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOI8oy_7T7-E7HKrZPZkM9wfQmIBmhBWKz63cFHM5MxI-m4psfmTkFJ6EC8kxjE1oaU8R8WBaRZjuwXxkkG5fXKwY0ChmEC2nl-ion4BnRoaxXBN5ffBAQBiDP8n_tCIt3aWkKVRP5SY/s320/r3ix35vgxlnbkodvqail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-52084834059636184512021-06-15T16:27:00.003-06:002021-06-15T16:35:38.820-06:00Let's get some things straight about bipolar disorder<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y12VLqKeMYcSW2pUSASU87EONnq59zVZ17_GKqL98DuA3S2OJw5CbuYowKKeMTYoM2IfTNmPKwQKSQJpM0kjSl0gKSqAI5GRSV4kaTqp_E4sfdNgAG-7ahVej8uH1-VqLTC1RTIMqD4/s1165/Finding-NY-TMS-for-Bipolar-Depression-.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y12VLqKeMYcSW2pUSASU87EONnq59zVZ17_GKqL98DuA3S2OJw5CbuYowKKeMTYoM2IfTNmPKwQKSQJpM0kjSl0gKSqAI5GRSV4kaTqp_E4sfdNgAG-7ahVej8uH1-VqLTC1RTIMqD4/s320/Finding-NY-TMS-for-Bipolar-Depression-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /> Sometimes I find it troubling the types of questions people are asking when it comes to bipolar disorder. I took some common questions from the web and answered them in my experience.<p></p><p><b>Can bipolar people tell they are bipolar?</b></p><p>It’s a different journey for everyone but for me, I had no clue until I was diagnosed in my 30s.</p><p><b>What is a person with bipolar like?</b></p><p>Please don’t classify us as all Having the same symptoms or reactions to things. This is like saying what is the person with diabetes like. Everyone has unique DNA, unique experiences in their lives, and so many factors that make us different. Even though we have similar symptoms, they look different on everybody.</p><p><b>Can a bipolar person truly love?</b></p><p>YES OF COURSE!!! (I found this one rather offensive.) Sometimes we love too much and it scares people or we love and people don’t believe us because of various symptoms or episodes in the past.</p><p><b>Are bipolar people smart?</b></p><p>Again… offensive. Bipolar people are smart in a way that many cannot be. They have a sense of empathic wisdom; a deep understanding of emotions, and moods.</p><p><b>Does bipolar worsen with age?</b></p><p>Good question. For me, yes it’s definitely gotten worse as I’ve aged. My mania used to be euphoric and fun. Now it just means no sleep and lots of irritability. Again, genetic make up, medications taken, diet, and so many other factors make people with bipolar very different from each other.</p><p><b>What should you <i>not </i>say to a bipolar person?</b></p><p>Sharing some answers from online:</p><p>"You're Just Overreacting Again"</p><p>"Anything That Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger"</p><p>"Everybody Has Mood Swings Sometimes"</p><p>"Everyone Is a Little Bipolar Sometimes"</p><p>"You Are Psycho"</p><p>"You're Acting Like a Maniac"<br /></p><p>"I Wish I Was Manic so I Could Get Things Done"</p><p>I'm going to add "What Happened to You?"<br /><br /></p><p>Thanks for reading and if you’re comfortable, please share this post so we can circulate the knowledge. Much love and joy to you all.</p><p>I’ll leave you with an article on <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/caregiver-support?fbclid=IwAR3VRdY11hfStjOTnsTDVrk1baueBwmwzRFv4TavRXArUQCJmtupjVC-f0s#helping-someone-with-bipolar" target="_blank">how best to help bipolar people</a>.</p>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-28094282835024931612021-05-22T07:43:00.000-06:002021-05-25T09:48:12.444-06:00Where did she go?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UKo5s006SRuLqCProyGqaK_xkAXRcNeBRgHjPj7MjHgFggnN5i20pu9qT0jcLmBD7Duq1kZXfNl6pZi6yXn5hty1MMoMh3LJs9yozLqVRl3F5d8SzPGsbJWwgM_IUzNTaoWztGYBnxA/s679/Earlytobedearlytorise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="453" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UKo5s006SRuLqCProyGqaK_xkAXRcNeBRgHjPj7MjHgFggnN5i20pu9qT0jcLmBD7Duq1kZXfNl6pZi6yXn5hty1MMoMh3LJs9yozLqVRl3F5d8SzPGsbJWwgM_IUzNTaoWztGYBnxA/s320/Earlytobedearlytorise.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I'm notoriously early to bed, early to rise these last couple years. Was more like a habit, and rhythm my body fell into.</p><p>I do love the early morning hours because they are dew kissed, possibility filled, moments.</p><p>Everything after that is hard. But life is struggle; whether you have mood disorders or a physical disability. Or even under "normal" circumstances I'd argue life is hard.</p><p>What I need to do is unearth my optimistic, almost silly side. Where has that joy gone?</p><p>Side note: doing the early bed/early rise thing doesn't guarantee healthy, wealth or wise. Or was that only applicable to men Mr. Franklin?</p><p>So where has the whimsical me gone?</p><p>I could argue it started hiding as soon as "grown up" issues became so important and necessary.</p><p>So where is she hiding?</p><p>I tried to freestyle dance (my favorite thing) the other day and I felt nothing. I could tap side to side, I could do the smallest, most basic things. (that could actually be the biproduct of anti-anxiety or bipolar meds.)</p><p>She's really hiding, some space within me that's hard to find.</p><p>I know she's there because she pops out at rare, brief times with a (welcomed) joyous frame of mind.</p><p>I'm excavating Party Nielle and finding the person that is fun without alcohol.</p><p>It's a long, arduous process.</p>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-12430872503031844742021-05-17T14:45:00.004-06:002021-05-17T14:48:31.311-06:00I'd rather be taking a nap<p> I made a commitment to blog, and so far I'm not off to a great start. My excuse was moving. 2 weeks of intense manual labor. I broke down a few times during the process... not surprising. My husband was a model of perseverance and patience. It's embarrassing to be someone who can't always contain their emotions. But hell, my anxiety and bipolar disorders are life disturbing constantly. Anyone with these conditions would know. Trouble is the folks who will never be able to understand, and therefore continue to judge, use stigma, or blatantly berate those with mood disorders. I was once told in an online comment, that I should just die because I'm too sensitive for this world. </p><p>I seem to want to blog about bipolar - so I want that to stay pure, and not indulgent. I say the above types of things a lot. What I need to do is read it 5 or so times and then not say it again.</p><p>Mood disorders aside, I've been feeling better the past couple days (after moving, unpacking, getting the 2nd COVID vaccine, etc.) Our bodies were a bit worn.</p><p>Now I need to find myself again. I know that sounds lame, but nonetheless it's true. I write correspondence, I read, I watch movies, I keep the house up... I'm a housewife - but I need to find out what else I still am. What's buried deep within... Forgotten but treasured. I'm on a mission!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKNtZILTjsIP17NypPrk4uv1XpkWYl0Yuv9yir8ztYP_Xjn0fO6dsxfYql1PFsWLZaYddTLluUa2SPuqXXQD1PPW4gGTE22yO2-8UWBFBcsh6Wjn6M7EbHgx27KmtZ6Q9wHWMaJCRDDg/s275/tired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKNtZILTjsIP17NypPrk4uv1XpkWYl0Yuv9yir8ztYP_Xjn0fO6dsxfYql1PFsWLZaYddTLluUa2SPuqXXQD1PPW4gGTE22yO2-8UWBFBcsh6Wjn6M7EbHgx27KmtZ6Q9wHWMaJCRDDg/s0/tired.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-47116596400363952302021-04-23T07:44:00.003-06:002021-04-23T07:46:18.674-06:00Packing and unpacking fever<p> </p><p>It's been suggested by my hubby that blogging every day might help me get back in the swing of things. Sooooo long this pandemic has kept me inside... and now it's time to get the power of speech, ripped from dysfunction, onto this page. </p><p>It's a wild time... packing to move to our first nice house as a married couple. I hate packing. Everyone expects me to be nothing but excited... and I AM excited. There are just a couple thousand things to do before getting to the fun part.</p><p>Things at the house now feel chaotic because of the process of moving. I can't get peaceful when things are in this state (unless I'm just sleeping).</p><p>I try to think what I can do to speed things up. 12 days till move-in. </p><p>Just keep swimming, swimming, swim......</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49neTDOAJrQouQYo5-cI3VJPfHyUks5YxFIDGmIjUCz1n7xsUTuhmuPxInf50r3vuUrTv1lf3ZeMV7hYO-QdHfwpu3r1lET6yu55KklAx9SmZveor-Vlfex78CfT7q8wHOB-ALno7Y_I/s1280/478676_642901010896_183504277_31864693_1070513986_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49neTDOAJrQouQYo5-cI3VJPfHyUks5YxFIDGmIjUCz1n7xsUTuhmuPxInf50r3vuUrTv1lf3ZeMV7hYO-QdHfwpu3r1lET6yu55KklAx9SmZveor-Vlfex78CfT7q8wHOB-ALno7Y_I/s320/478676_642901010896_183504277_31864693_1070513986_o.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-52110742025141939792015-04-09T22:07:00.002-06:002015-04-09T22:08:06.277-06:00Ready for Google's Changes? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Google Search Rankings Are Changing 4-21!</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Is your website mobile-friendly?<br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Starting April 21st, Google will change their algorithm so mobile-friendly websites appear higher in search results.</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #4d4f51;">It should come as no surprise to our smartphone-addicted society that 60% of internet access is mostly conducted through a mobile phone.</span><br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<strong style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At our office we are working on a web redesign for this very reason.</strong><strong style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A website that can't be navigated easily on a smart phone WILL lose viewers.</strong></strong><br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<strong style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More Info ></strong><span style="color: #4d4f51;"> </span><a href="http://coloradomortgage.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cf34ef406aeaac7cbf0093e8&id=6dc94c58f0&e=78ebb1ecf3" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;">Google Blog Post</span></a><span style="color: #4d4f51;"> and </span><a href="http://coloradomortgage.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cf34ef406aeaac7cbf0093e8&id=f5f20f8e4e&e=78ebb1ecf3" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;">Mobile-Friendly Test</span></a><br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="color: #4d4f51;">Want advice on how to optimize your website? Feel free to send me a message!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Have tips of your own? Comment below!</div>
Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-85466085639677649682015-03-18T10:51:00.000-06:002015-03-18T10:52:20.900-06:00Favorite E.E. Cummings poem and the need for poetry It's been a while since I read for pleasure. I generally read mostly work-related articles until my eyes give out.<br />
<br />
But as a former English major, I need a fix... Poetry for me is not hearts and flowers. It's angst, frustration, love, passion; every raw emotion expressed in a unique perspective.<br />
I'll admit I was never a good writer of poetry, (at least by my professors' standards), but it fuels the soul.<br />
<br />
In the words of Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society"....<br />
<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.0300006866455px;">We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Humanity I Love You" by E E Cummings</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Humanity i love you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">because you would rather black the boots of</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">success than enquire whose soul dangles from his</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both<br /><br />parties and because you<br />unflinchingly applaud all<br />songs containing the words country home and<br />mother when sung at the old howard<br /><br />Humanity i love you because<br />when you’re hard up you pawn your<br />intelligence to buy a drink and when<br />you’re flush pride keeps<br /><br />you from the pawn shop and<br />because you are continually committing<br />nuisances but more<br />especially in your own house<br /><br />Humanity i love you because you<br />are perpetually putting the secret of<br />life in your pants and forgetting<br />it’s there and sitting down<br /><br />on it<br />and because you are<br />forever making poems in the lap<br />of death Humanity<br /><br />i hate you</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArp9BHbBJWSwMLXMM7osJhHKPIKbaoZBNKmMa9Orb5hu03EdgfGNspTOgVE-vpBB_BrZnCswgnSVLfre_22YBpI9b9-wzBugn_SLhloDDI6eHHSINxJzBLB9IEZ7RkuZRZyZNRPrQSkM/s1600/11075306_913944181991703_5263798603845072229_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArp9BHbBJWSwMLXMM7osJhHKPIKbaoZBNKmMa9Orb5hu03EdgfGNspTOgVE-vpBB_BrZnCswgnSVLfre_22YBpI9b9-wzBugn_SLhloDDI6eHHSINxJzBLB9IEZ7RkuZRZyZNRPrQSkM/s1600/11075306_913944181991703_5263798603845072229_n.jpg" height="185" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-31934750204608556202014-12-18T16:34:00.000-07:002014-12-19T07:08:51.623-07:003 Websites I Found in 2014 and Will Keep Using in 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzIegbXpiuL_C72BADsstCg_mrQhtza6LO2MLb3fjEkvgel2E5ujKlvt0o13HnrV4ilGqpW53PdZBZVkpE52wNr_lxYX-v2H8jkbR9zn7gGSOJJxU3NsaA3gTOrplBFWuQelCUBE9YFc/s1600/internet-315799_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzIegbXpiuL_C72BADsstCg_mrQhtza6LO2MLb3fjEkvgel2E5ujKlvt0o13HnrV4ilGqpW53PdZBZVkpE52wNr_lxYX-v2H8jkbR9zn7gGSOJJxU3NsaA3gTOrplBFWuQelCUBE9YFc/s1600/internet-315799_640.jpg" height="211" width="320"></a></div>
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<br>
It's entirely possible you've heard of these 3 websites. If you have, congrats! You may like or dislike them for whatever reasons; different methods for different folks.<br>
<br>
From various articles I skimmed this year, I found 3 websites that have become indispensable tools for work and personal use.<br><b>
These websites relate to: </b><div><b>• Curating images</b></div><div><b>• Creating infographics and</b></div><div><b>• Free website services.</b><br>
<br>
Hopefully by this time, bloggers realize how <a href="http://niellemc.blogspot.com/2014/02/your-blog-needs-image.html" target="_blank">crucial it is to include images</a> in their posts.<br>
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Often, it can be challenging to find a quality image that is free and clear to use legally. (Unless you have a good-sized budget to spend on Shutterstock.)<br>
<br>
Even if you THINK an image is labeled for re-use (a search option available from Google), that does not mean that it IS legal for you to use. <a href="http://niellemc.blogspot.com/2014/08/getty-images-cracking-down-bloggers-read.html" target="_blank">I learned this the hard way</a>. Getty Images has a dedicated staff searching sites for unlicensed images.<br>
<br>
Not to worry, there are <a href="https://blog.bufferapp.com/free-image-sources-list" target="_blank">MANY sites</a> where you can find good quality, free images. Some of these free image websites require time-consuming scrolling if there is no search engine or tags with images.<br>
<br>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Website #1 - <a href="http://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> <span style="color: #4c1130;">(Free Images - Photos, Vector Graphics, Illustrations)</span></span></b><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWGIVuFD5lNe92HmU51-Hll8cldd-l_RYiIWmc_-_CYQlDK2qVyd51UiLOBiYmRh9j_4yZJCmxmtNjDaqdpnRsOQRfMrBVv0wQhBSVWb8osz8SJWKou-G356qzdIw55rnIfCCqLROoIM/s1600/pixabay.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWGIVuFD5lNe92HmU51-Hll8cldd-l_RYiIWmc_-_CYQlDK2qVyd51UiLOBiYmRh9j_4yZJCmxmtNjDaqdpnRsOQRfMrBVv0wQhBSVWb8osz8SJWKou-G356qzdIw55rnIfCCqLROoIM/s1600/pixabay.PNG"></a></div>
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Easily searchable by type of graphic, orientation and color.<br>
This is where I find nearly all my blog images now - for just about any topic.<br>
<br>
<hr>
<b>Infographics</b> have shown to have a huge impact on whether content is shared. It is much easier to visualize data than to read about it (especially when the average reader has an 8 second attention span).<br>
There are a number of websites that assist with creating Infographics. I go with what I find most user-friendly and the design options.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Website #2 - <a href="http://easel.ly/" target="_blank">Easel.ly</a> - <span style="color: #4c1130;">(Create and Share Visual Ideas)</span></b></span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn422tNLNtyO2iMbdKBcORSIPiCizebF9t_l0wCDLjyUkx3KOyLTziXmzsgjL6nrsuYOVzwThl17W9SzVhufEGle8FStOEKzA1-kQ6zvsrhNfU1cQBjINfx4Ws-i_sU1a0zijExRXzao/s1600/easel-ly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn422tNLNtyO2iMbdKBcORSIPiCizebF9t_l0wCDLjyUkx3KOyLTziXmzsgjL6nrsuYOVzwThl17W9SzVhufEGle8FStOEKzA1-kQ6zvsrhNfU1cQBjINfx4Ws-i_sU1a0zijExRXzao/s1600/easel-ly.jpg" height="80" width="200"></a></div>
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It's a fun way to present data and a good practice in editing for the blogger. Trim down your content to the most important points and make the info easier to consume and share.<br>
Perhaps I should have done that for this post?<br>
<br>
<hr>
<b>Landing Pages</b> are known to be a great way to capture lead info. Compel people to visit a web page focused on a single concept, and use one call to action (like a form). Leads fill it out to get access to a report or other info.<br>
I have used Unbounce for this as well as other sites. All have similar features to my new, favorite site.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Website #3 - <a href="https://www.instapage.com/" target="_blank">Instapage</a></b> </span><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">(Build Quick and Professional Landing Pages - A/B Testing)</span></b><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLqEXXvYUIZB6Adsddra-B9QXGCoB_HkP6DKa8YK00OAJJ1nxUWTTDHGdTrisPkIXTwMRaojAfsZB-KHQWtY0fSDqRe1u5WqpxvKwhpOYhZRa2mn8sBeH-JD85-Ooptsc5550HXNSakc/s1600/instapage-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLqEXXvYUIZB6Adsddra-B9QXGCoB_HkP6DKa8YK00OAJJ1nxUWTTDHGdTrisPkIXTwMRaojAfsZB-KHQWtY0fSDqRe1u5WqpxvKwhpOYhZRa2mn8sBeH-JD85-Ooptsc5550HXNSakc/s1600/instapage-logo.png" height="39" width="200"></a></div>
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I was using Unbounce for landing pages when I read about Instapage and gave it a shot. VERY user-friendly, clean, wonderful templates to choose from, and excellent customer service (and I've only used the free version). You can upgrade 29$ a month to get rid of the logo, customize CSS, add Javascript, SEO features and more.<br>
It's also a great service for someone who only needs one page for a website. A tech novice can easily use a professional template and edit any components to make it look unique. There are a wide variety of templates for various categories.<br>
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<hr>
Though I use dozens of sites on a daily basis, those 3 were exciting discoveries for me.<br>
<br>
Comment below - what web tools have you discovered recently and why do you like them??<br>
<br>
And what will we discover in 2015...</div>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-34145562814180766312014-10-19T21:41:00.000-06:002014-10-19T22:17:17.429-06:00Is Ello the New Facebook? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAJNf0Us0rcB1LOsD6VrPmjq7d4_XCVxMuiCPvFSo5lOA8-qAWurrYsX85gs4sMFkR8V_MyX0zKEXAOBBjTvQzAc2a0Qq2A3zJ2WwShudaPB-t2El1szMueerW7ViaLCbK1W1CR1kIDk/s1600/fbello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAJNf0Us0rcB1LOsD6VrPmjq7d4_XCVxMuiCPvFSo5lOA8-qAWurrYsX85gs4sMFkR8V_MyX0zKEXAOBBjTvQzAc2a0Qq2A3zJ2WwShudaPB-t2El1szMueerW7ViaLCbK1W1CR1kIDk/s1600/fbello.jpg" height="104" width="320" /></a></div>
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Are apples the new oranges?</div>
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The buzz around Ello is increasing, and the beta social network is continually being compared to Facebook. </div>
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People are speculating that many on Facebook will jump ship for the next new thing. </div>
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With Ello just now releasing a beta version to a limited number of people, the demand and intrigue increases the hype.</div>
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However, Ello is something altogether new; originally created by seven people to be a <i>private</i> social network, mainly geared toward artists.</div>
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Their network grew, so eventually creator Paul Budnitz slowly rolled out a beta public version.</div>
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Ello has never promised to be a new Facebook. It's never promised games or "liking" or videos. </div>
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They really didn't promise anything except to be forever ad-free.</div>
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<a href="http://amp.cbslocal.com/2014/10/17/carson-daly-talks-to-ello-ceo-paul-budnitz-about-the-ad-free-social-network/" target="_blank">In this interview with Carson Daly</a>, Ello CEO & Co-Founder try to set the record straight about what their site is and isn't.</div>
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If you get an invite to join Ello, here's what to expect:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Minimalism.</b> White space and black text.<br />The only color added is from splashes of uploaded images. I'm having fun with animated GIFs, but real artists share their work.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Really Minimal.</b> Your choices are to discover people, add them to Noise or Friends, invite several people to try Ello, interact with people, and let loose on your own profile.</li>
<ul>
<li><b>You can share images, links and text.</b> <br />I have begun using it as a type of private blog and venting place. An online space where I can rant stream of consciousness jumbles, and not worry about keeping up a professional image. My profile is not visible to those not on Ello.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Noise Vs. Friends.</b> You can have two different news feeds. <br />If you want to be able to weed out a small group of people from many you want to follow, those few will be Friends. And the rest of the people you want to follow can be added to a separate feed called Noise.<br /><br />The layout of the two feeds are different; a compressed list for Noise and expanded for Friends.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>WTF?</b> Chances are, you'll sign up, build a profile and sit there not knowing what to do.<br />If you look at the bottom left of the screen, there are tiny letters "WTF."<br />Here you can find all the answers to your questions.</li>
</ul>
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So no, Ello is not and will never be the new Facebook.</div>
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It started as something private that got popular. There is no App. It is not pretentious.</div>
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I will continue to play with it, because of course I am too curious not to.</div>
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If you are curious too and would like an invite, I still have a few left. </div>
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Interested? Leave a comment below!</div>
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<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-13059192599633269712014-08-28T16:34:00.001-06:002014-08-29T09:25:47.861-06:00Getty Images Cracking Down. Bloggers Read! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc-wNy0SkSrMLmkmKgRyxqzY73mQwqI2aWjLaPptL9EtCyml1d5iL-zncWkuHfAh09y3aeehDi4vYAi9ZlND5d74i97WI8yOZRy7-88BUn_QICSUiyEWTrSMt1s7EF6ma9vdwvlInmxk/s1600/COPYRIGHT.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc-wNy0SkSrMLmkmKgRyxqzY73mQwqI2aWjLaPptL9EtCyml1d5iL-zncWkuHfAh09y3aeehDi4vYAi9ZlND5d74i97WI8yOZRy7-88BUn_QICSUiyEWTrSMt1s7EF6ma9vdwvlInmxk/s1600/COPYRIGHT.png" /></a></div>
<br />
In a previous blog post, I stated that each entry should have a compelling image to catch attention.<br />
<br />
THIS IS STILL TRUE.<br />
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However, I suggested using Google Image search and filtering the results by "labeled for reuse." Technically speaking, this should have been a quick solution when needing images on the fly.<br />
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You can usually tell if an image is copyrighted.<br />
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HOWEVER, this isn't always the case as I found out the hard way after receiving a fine for using a Getty image (unknowingly). Obviously I had not paid for the licensed image, so as a result, I was charged a 470$ fine.<br />
<br />
OUCH.<br />
<br />
In retrospect, I know I was taking the lazy approach. But when you need to do one or two blog posts a day, it can be tough to find a relevant image for each of them.<br />
<br />
So let me provide a great link with a collection of MANY free image sites (and this post will act as a bookmark for myself as well)<br />
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<b><a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/free-image-sources-list" target="_blank">53+ Free Image Sources For Your Blog and Social Media Posts</a></b><br />
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And remember, just because an image says "Royalty Free," does not mean it's free. But hopefully a blogger knows that.<br />
<br />
And hopefully, you'll never make the blunder I made!<br />
<br />
UPDATE:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.designweek.co.uk/we-like/12-million-historic-rights-free-images-coming-to-the-internet/3038990.article" target="_blank"><b>12 Million Historic Rights Free Images Coming to the Internet</b></a><br />
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<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-54760137446643659602014-08-08T15:19:00.004-06:002014-08-11T07:54:08.414-06:00Which #Marketing Guru Do You Listen To? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf9-WmbS8xVLzXs57E85F5IqiSQdNJiC8NnYbPDO_ItJVwd4XjGmEjtGlerCql7BMpF1OPd0QMgoB_cTWtPPrPYfQ9fGrq5IJqyucHwWRReiUvKKObx8H1a78ngqK85HTezLJ45T2op4/s1600/guru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf9-WmbS8xVLzXs57E85F5IqiSQdNJiC8NnYbPDO_ItJVwd4XjGmEjtGlerCql7BMpF1OPd0QMgoB_cTWtPPrPYfQ9fGrq5IJqyucHwWRReiUvKKObx8H1a78ngqK85HTezLJ45T2op4/s1600/guru.jpg" height="200" width="137" /></a></div>
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There are A LOT of self-named "gurus" of social media on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. (Take your pick.) Let me say first off, I think calling yourself a guru is a wee bit narcissistic... But technically it's a LEADER in the field. If you're a leader in the field, your Twitter followers should have a "K" behind the number.<br />
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If you're trying to make it as a marketing and/or social media professional, like me, you will read everything you possibly can on strategies, content, tone, branding, which platform to use...<br />
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Not everyone can be right. And you know what? There is no right! There are only ideas, floating around like code bits in the matrix.<br />
<br />
Here is my ever-growing and changing <a href="https://twitter.com/niellemc/marketing-social-media/members" target="_blank"><b>Twitter list of Marketing and Social Media</b></a> folks I follow. I read what they have to say... Some of it I've heard before, some I disagree with, some of it I've tried and implement, and some advice is a little golden treasure I had not discovered.<br />
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Each social media and marketing strategy has some value for everyone, but they will vary based on the target audience and the goal of what you're marketing.<br />
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I differ on my online presence approach because I'm extremely eclectic and refuse to be "branded" in just one category. But that is me as an individual - not a company presence. Totally different.<br />
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My advice:<br />
<br />
1. INTERACT with folks on social media - don't just blast content. <br />
I make real-life friends from Twitter all the time.<br />
<br />
2. Take everything "experts" say with a grain of salt<br />
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That being said....<br />
3. EXPERIMENT with the strategies the experts suggest<br />
<br />
4. Pay attention to your successful competition and how they are doing it right<br />
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5. Read, read, read - These trends change daily!<br />
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Happy networking!<br />
<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-87669971180955297282014-08-08T11:58:00.001-06:002014-08-08T11:58:39.260-06:00#Supernatural Rant. The Plight of Sam.<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
At the request of my good friend <a href="https://twitter.com/nerdalertnews" target="_blank">@NerdAlertNews</a>, fellow obsessive fan-girl of Supernatural, I am blogging my rant about how I shifted from Team Dean, to Team Sam. </div>
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It's crazy to me that I can be so invested in these fictional characters. All of the SPN fans are, and that's really a credit to the writers and the actors. </div>
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For those who have not seen the end of Season 9, *spoilers* - and what is wrong with you??</div>
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I always thought Sam was too whiny, and Dean was the funny, beautiful one. Therefore, I identified as "Team Dean." I mean for a LONG time... Team Dean all the way.</div>
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But as we have watched them live through their "river of crap that would send most people howling to the nuthouse," I had an epiphany that slowly started the beginning of Season 9 and crashed into a wall by the finale.</div>
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Dean definitely loves Sam in his own way. We all know that. As a child, poor Dean had the burden of trying to be tough and do what his dad told him and protect Sam at any cost. He had to lie to Sam constantly and try to be a parental figure; (cue the heart-breaking Christmas episode). </div>
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For that, I am very sorry for Dean. And it makes some sense that childhood is where the pattern of lying to Sam began for Dean.</div>
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HOWEVER... Dean got tired of hunting alone when their dad went missing, and he dragged Sam back into the life selfishly. Sam did not want back in, but his guilt compelled him to go. (Or perhaps it was that "destiny" crap. That's a whole other can of worms!)</div>
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On that premise, Dean has no right to complain about anything Sam does from there on out. Sam was force-fed demon blood as a baby and forced into the life of hunting which he tried to escape. Sam had no choice in his destiny of being Lucifer's vessel and Sam always tried to do the right thing. Yes, he made apocalyptic mistakes but so did Dean.... and Sam always paid a huge price for his mistakes.</div>
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Yet Sam is ALWAYS the one who takes the heat. Dean NEVER lets him forget how Sam sided with Ruby.</div>
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Sam is ready to be done after Dean goes to Purgatory. He had no leads on how to get Dean back --- no allies since Bobby was dead. How was he to know Dean was in Purgatory OR the first thing about getting Dean back? He didn't yet have access to the Men of Letters "mother-lode" with endless information at his disposal. </div>
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And for the first time in eight years, he found some happiness with Amelia... and he was punished for that. (Even after Sam tried desperately to make sure Dean tried to have some happiness with Lisa.) </div>
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Dean again, never let Sam forget that he abandoned his duties as a hunter, and to add insult to injury, ghost Bobby yelled at Sam too when Sam was rescuing Bobby's soul from hell!</div>
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Sam was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the world in order to shut the gates of hell - and he was at peace with it. He was chillin with Death and BEYOND ready to be done with everything, and Dean tricked him and dragged him back in... again. And essentially, it was Dean's fault that Sam killed Kevin (when possessed by Galadriel).</div>
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Does Dean freely admit his mistakes? No, he gets caught eventually and then acts out like the angry little boy he always was. Dean lies to his brother over and over and over and over. </div>
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I would like to refer you to their conversation in "Sacrifice," the Season 8 finale. We were all so touched, and moved... but if you will examine it... you will see Sam's true repentance, and Dean's continual denial of ways that he has actually hurt Sam. (Though we can probably agree, hurting Sam isn't Dean's intention):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 10px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sam:</b> You want to know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down. I can’t do that again. What happens when you’ve decided I can’t be trusted again? Who are you gonna turn to next time instead of me? Another angel? Another vampire? Do you have any idea what it feels like to watch your brother…</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Dean:</b> Hold on, hold on. Do you seriously think that? Because none of it, none of it is true. Listen man, I know we’ve had our disagreements. Hell, I know I’ve said some junk that sent you back on your heels. But Sammy, come on. I killed Benny to save you. I’m willing to let this bastard and all the sons of bitches that killed mom walk because of you. Don’t you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you. It has never been like that, ever.</span></span></blockquote>
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Don't get me wrong. I still love Dean. He truly believes every word he is saying and he loves his brother, <i>in his way</i>. My point is - he's not evolving like Sam. It's kinda pesky.</div>
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SO, what does Dean do as Season 9 progresses? He decides that teaming up with CROWLEY is a better idea than working with Sam in order to stop Abaddon. He does what Dean always does; acts rashly and <i>doesn't trust Sam</i> enough to get the job done. Dean listens to a demon over his own brother. Hmm, the shoe is on the other foot. (Sam lost his shoe! Ha! Couldn't help it.)</div>
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Now Sam is left abandoned. Again. I mean, totally abandoned in a life he never wanted, with a demon brother. His life just BLOWS! So I am Team Sam all the way now! I always go back and enjoy the funny episodes, but I also see how much of a dick Dean is when Sam screws up and Sam rarely calls Dean on the mistakes that Dean makes...
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI9HYkGKCFFXTAfZe-nNhv79-ZjezUScRqqSe3mZCuYf0TBV1jf8ovg37yqm8u-yYBLAEyNUVEDXNJNvpFPTMS6dgFg4j6Qh1ptxndkXcFnfTgPWcDB6QqT_dGeNYe1MeQw4GQIvCavY/s1600/samdeanS9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI9HYkGKCFFXTAfZe-nNhv79-ZjezUScRqqSe3mZCuYf0TBV1jf8ovg37yqm8u-yYBLAEyNUVEDXNJNvpFPTMS6dgFg4j6Qh1ptxndkXcFnfTgPWcDB6QqT_dGeNYe1MeQw4GQIvCavY/s1600/samdeanS9.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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Team Dean - Don't get mad! I love our boys; both of them - flaws and all.</div>
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And demon Dean is going to be a hell of a ride in Season 10!</div>
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Whew! Sammy... hang in there.</div>
Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-42058873211953356152014-02-03T17:33:00.003-07:002014-02-03T17:33:58.082-07:00Your Blog Needs An Image<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>No, not a mental conception of your overall blog; literally your blog needs an image with each post.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxq3tLo42ZVn7TfXqbsefVwNN2HwqDb923kS_kotL20UatMz1qkPiNpAEH2vN4CCDN4xzWSbXhovWRwe4u_8eLsuyudS1nV9yxueecRTtuRNwaTn8ItnwsfPYOsxYSFYfThaVLkA3_X0/s1600/Blog_(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxq3tLo42ZVn7TfXqbsefVwNN2HwqDb923kS_kotL20UatMz1qkPiNpAEH2vN4CCDN4xzWSbXhovWRwe4u_8eLsuyudS1nV9yxueecRTtuRNwaTn8ItnwsfPYOsxYSFYfThaVLkA3_X0/s1600/Blog_(1).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is a consensus in the social media and marketing expert community that the best way to get attention to a blog post is to have some type of visual along with it.</div>
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However, it can be difficult to find an eye-catching image to use for free without violating copyright.</div>
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Your other choices are then to create your own images or purchase stock photos. One is time consuming, and the other pricey for a small business or self-employed blogger.</div>
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<a href="http://images.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Images</a> has been a helpful source for visual search, but it wasn't always clear without some effort to find which images were available for reuse.</div>
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There is an option now to refine the search by clicking "Search Tools" after typing in your image name (such as Super Bowl for this example).</div>
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Underneath is a drop-down for Usage Rights options, and there you can choose from:</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>labeled for reuse</li>
<li>labeled for commercial reuse</li>
<li>labeled for reuse with modification</li>
<li>labeled for commercial reuse with modification</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y-7BzN0z8B2S8UpbF_J7XFOiYk81IJBOs7xAuD648qUCnuLV1gDVmohhKzk-PTSRCo4AY7H_UJT0lqIkrKzp3HkPlDV7ma_1WyMI2azRJiK4f9NsVrtty_cn6BF9AHPiQxi_vI4EeNY/s1600/images1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y-7BzN0z8B2S8UpbF_J7XFOiYk81IJBOs7xAuD648qUCnuLV1gDVmohhKzk-PTSRCo4AY7H_UJT0lqIkrKzp3HkPlDV7ma_1WyMI2azRJiK4f9NsVrtty_cn6BF9AHPiQxi_vI4EeNY/s1600/images1.png" height="120" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of course if you love taking pictures or creating graphics, originals are always the best.</div>
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But when you need a quick blog image, this is a fast and easy solution.</div>
<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-80241367060132516682013-08-19T14:11:00.000-06:002014-01-28T19:48:09.704-07:00Yahoooooo? Necessary? #SEO #SocialMedia Please Comment!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So interesting... I went to Yahoo.com to get the skinny on getting your website fully indexed in the Yahoo search engine. I typed "submit your website" into the yahoo.com search box. Wouldn't you think that one of the top search results in the yahoo.com search would be how to submit your site to Yahoo? <br />
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Yeah... no. NO mention of Yahoo on the first page of results. Google AdWords, other services, Google webmaster tools, BING. These results dominated Yahoo's search results.</div>
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<div>
Is Yahoo trying to be self defeating? Don't they have programmers working to ensure their web presence? Yeah, their free email service is still OK, though they always seem to change their format based on Gmail services. However, Yahoo needs extra ads on their pages to compensate for the revenue they're not generating; which slows down load time and is inconvenient for the user.</div>
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Yahoo doesn't have its own social media platform like Google does (which incidentally, yields great search results when you publish a Google+ post). Oh wait, Yahoo has <a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank">Flikr</a>. Do any of you still use that? I think I may have for a while. Right, my yahoo photos and info were transitioned to Flikr and I spiffed up my profile and looks like the last time I did anything with it was 16 months ago. That will most definitely be dust in the wind; just like my MySpace page. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So let's take a look at Flikr. OK we can share photos and comment on other photos. Emphasized on every Yahoo service is integration with Facebook. Any photo on Flikr can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr. I don't find Flikr to be that user friendly and the design is overwhelming as opposed to the clean style of your Google+ profile which consolidates all its free services in one place. How many photo services do we have now? From what I've observed, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr dominate the social media photo sharing world. Of course I often forget about those and just share photos on Facebook, most especially if they are personal so that friends and family can see. Some people aren't interested in using Pinterest and most certainly not Flikr.</div>
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What online photo sharing service do YOU use?</div>
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I'm getting off topic. What I'm trying to understand is, it seems to me that Yahoo isn't really relevant anymore. They are still putting up a fight but all I see is a sub-par internet enterprise that rides the coattails of better web services.<br />
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I still use a yahoo email address (not my primary email) for some things but that's mostly to stay aware of when their email format changes or tries to improve.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Am I wrong? Who uses Yahoo as their primary search engine? According to this <a href="http://searchengineland.com/more-than-19-3-billion-searches-in-july-google-and-bing-both-up-169767" target="_blank">recent statistical report</a>, not too many people.</div>
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Until Yahoo's search turns into a verb, I don't think Google has much to worry about. When was the last time you heard someone say, "let me just Yahoo that to find out"?</div>
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Please chime in with comments! I'm very curious.</div>
Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-49337834218838722512013-07-09T14:32:00.000-06:002013-07-09T14:32:12.656-06:00Head in the Cloud Based Solutions<h4>
I wrote this for a specific project - but for anyone curious about the basics of cloud computing, this entry might be helpful to you.</h4>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“…the ability to experiment with more ideas can set a competitive advantage for the organization and deliver products and services that more rapidly create revenue.”<br /><a href="http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/issues/cloud-computing/assets/cloud-computing-and-the-ceo.pdf" target="_blank">Phil Garland</a></blockquote>
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Cloud computing isn't going away. It took off in 2010 and soon business and service apps will be as easy to use as most social media apps. Simply put: internet speeds will increase, therefore computing service needs rise; so the cloud will continue to grow.</div>
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Yet many CEO's are still hesitant to make the switch over to the cloud innovation. This gives smaller companies the opportunity to grab new resources that weren't readily available for them, before traditional large companies begin to take over.</div>
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The benefits of cloud-based solutions in business boil down to three things: </div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fast resources</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Less costs and </div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Low maintenance </div>
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Most of us use cloud computing without even realizing it when we upload our photos to social sites and retrieve documents we saved on a service like Google Drive.</div>
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The resources are shared and permission-controlled for multiple users, adjusted per demand and time zone. Most IT experts suggest cloud computing requires minimal management or effort on the part of the user or IT staff, which gets your content up and running faster.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/index.cfm" target="_blank">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a> states: "Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."</div>
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To ultimately sell the idea to a CEO, emphasize the ease of use of a service an employee can access anywhere from the web. The cost is lower and many cloud services offer products as an alternative to software (Adobe, Microsoft, SAP, etc.) or SaaS (Software as a Service). Disaster recovery provides reassurance and frees your IT staff to worry about other issues. Last but not least, mobile cloud-computing is a match made in heaven for technology trends and solutions. </div>
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The bottom line of any cloud-computing service is: faster, simpler, and less expensive; the wave of now AND of the future. </div>
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Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-38329076658868548342013-06-19T21:46:00.000-06:002013-06-19T21:46:17.078-06:00Dragon and Belly Dance Stuff for sale!I have a few postings on Craigslist that I thought I'd also share here.<br />
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<b>DRAGON</b><br />
A year ago I bought a cute, fuzzy, red dragon at the Renaissance Faire and still have not used it, so I think it's time the little fella found a better place to play than in my closet. He'll hang out on your shoulder and look around at all the people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnemAEhcy68Nnn_00SLtraJu1XHpHxwR2Tx18RFEFqlbmE0OBw3id9ob2pPhm0wUm9nWQuRji15qNe2jzXi8lNSdbVpFO170Lgah-U-Y1r5PTsu6DdKldP_JGFAkbc5Nj6MEPShyN14g/s1600/dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnemAEhcy68Nnn_00SLtraJu1XHpHxwR2Tx18RFEFqlbmE0OBw3id9ob2pPhm0wUm9nWQuRji15qNe2jzXi8lNSdbVpFO170Lgah-U-Y1r5PTsu6DdKldP_JGFAkbc5Nj6MEPShyN14g/s320/dragon.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here is the Craigslist posting for more info:</div>
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<a href="http://denver.craigslist.org/tag/3873941889.html">http://denver.craigslist.org/tag/3873941889.html</a></div>
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<b>Belly Dance Bra / Belt Sets (Cabaret style)</b><br />
Eventually, a girl's just gotta move on from past costumes...<br />
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1 - Pale blue sequins - $60<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnX5rtNoVSvYRJitEtCYYMb2pO4N6qMFR036RNEpDP_l7VeqlVV4u_WfjKIKpWPeYS7UpFyUwz2yIGh47VHH3o1GBss9so_Xe5-SOuROQ4-JnohDlaTKGJBR41zv4cRZLxeZIsdRjUmk/s1600/lightblueBraBelt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnX5rtNoVSvYRJitEtCYYMb2pO4N6qMFR036RNEpDP_l7VeqlVV4u_WfjKIKpWPeYS7UpFyUwz2yIGh47VHH3o1GBss9so_Xe5-SOuROQ4-JnohDlaTKGJBR41zv4cRZLxeZIsdRjUmk/s320/lightblueBraBelt.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Craigslist posting:</div>
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<a href="http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3873941091.html">http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3873941091.html</a><br /><br /><br /></div>
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2 - Turquoise sequins - 75$</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPcu4OjyfTUsfcC4CUFl37WK74M4tlQVdDPqaG1TAEapd4OmeKHgbiBXg-AkDKlriLvutzHTeYrDqm77o5RjKdEL_CR5YynUympJOFYhngGa1gTm_MXwB9ALCWdANdXH0K0oWS5VoLx4/s1600/turquoise-belt-back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPcu4OjyfTUsfcC4CUFl37WK74M4tlQVdDPqaG1TAEapd4OmeKHgbiBXg-AkDKlriLvutzHTeYrDqm77o5RjKdEL_CR5YynUympJOFYhngGa1gTm_MXwB9ALCWdANdXH0K0oWS5VoLx4/s320/turquoise-belt-back.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUyu_uMwXleGbtvg4MhyriI7wv-x2ey_PeGltWBczvpqtEVskhXFfAr9CkxHpxAOBQWhcMPaUbSY6SP32PDcYCgpG9rlm88AqUwt-dVkWXUOZ-EZ31RpgfuSv-jPd6RxPfX4qDIGvIKU/s1600/turquoise-bra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUyu_uMwXleGbtvg4MhyriI7wv-x2ey_PeGltWBczvpqtEVskhXFfAr9CkxHpxAOBQWhcMPaUbSY6SP32PDcYCgpG9rlm88AqUwt-dVkWXUOZ-EZ31RpgfuSv-jPd6RxPfX4qDIGvIKU/s320/turquoise-bra.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Craigslist posting:</div>
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<a href="http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3879290850.html">http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3879290850.html</a><br /></div>
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India-style Belly dance embroidered crop top - $15<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizf6WQiCpLctTFpA2n24TjYyLZNHbR7wnwhEIGqTK4aqjut9JQvgaoUq-DoN_1KolbQDJdj8f9vPDOCgffL1wiKNTDOiUFfkugWStDMfyXGq9-xrwC_QqFgWZWjC8PH_PLIqTUrgWTXh0/s1600/bd-crop-top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizf6WQiCpLctTFpA2n24TjYyLZNHbR7wnwhEIGqTK4aqjut9JQvgaoUq-DoN_1KolbQDJdj8f9vPDOCgffL1wiKNTDOiUFfkugWStDMfyXGq9-xrwC_QqFgWZWjC8PH_PLIqTUrgWTXh0/s320/bd-crop-top.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Craigslist posting:</div>
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<a href="http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3881313247.html">http://denver.craigslist.org/clo/3881313247.html</a></div>
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Check out the Craigslist links for all the details. Considering the dragon's never been used, it's a screamin deal based on what I'm asking for it. Already had a couple nibbles on that one.<br />
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And as we belly dancin ladies know, costumes don't come cheap - and I feel these are very reasonable prices.<br />
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Please feel free to share!<br />
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Thanks!<br />
<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-23347542577386744722013-06-03T19:46:00.001-06:002013-08-19T17:00:16.021-06:00I need to get this cemented into my noggin!<div class="quote" style="background-image: url(http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/sites/all/themes/oldblog/images/quote-open.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin-top: 1em;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">" It is NOT important to me what you think about me, and i don't take what you think personally.... I dont have the need to be accepted. I dont have the need to have someone tell me, " Miguel you are GREAT"... What ever YOU think, whatever YOU feel is YOUR problem not MY problem. " "PERSONAL IMPORTANCE or taking things personally, is an expression of SELFISHNESS because we make the assumption that everything is about ME!! NOTHING PEOPLE DO IS BECAUSE OF YOU!! IT'S BECAUSE OF THEMSELVES!!"</span></div>
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<span class="author-label" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold; padding-left: 65px;">Don Miguel Ruiz</span></div>
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Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-24030092215711146992013-05-29T12:58:00.000-06:002013-05-29T12:58:40.650-06:00Love the ones you're withIt's so easy to get caught up in our every day lives... things that seem important but when compared to the people we love and dramatic world tragedies - just seem ridiculously unnecessary.<br />
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With Memorial Day just passed - I am also reminded of recent tragedies.<br />
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There was a very dear friend my age who I never expected to die so young who passed May 4th. Even though he had health problems and quite often was in and out of the hospital... it's still hard to believe. I'm grateful he's at peace and will no longer suffer... But I am trying to let go of the regret I have from not spending time with him the last couple times I had a chance. <br />
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Another family friend very suddenly died leaving a devastated family. A truly tragic accident that no one ever could expect... it's a reminder of just how fragile our bodies can be and how we never really know how long we have on this earth.<br />
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Of course we are always reminded when there is a massive tragedy such as in Oklahoma, Boston, 911, school shootings... the world is precarious. We all know we are going to die - we just don't know when.<br />
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I write this not to be morbid - but to remind us (<b>of course</b> myself included), not to get caught up in the superficial things we love and let them take precedence over treasured family and friends. It is so easy to do... assuming we will always have a chance to see them when we have time. <br />
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I don't want to regret missing those important moments. I don't want to miss the chance anymore to put the people I love as top priority. It can be so easy to lose sight of that - I have so often done this in the past.<br />
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To any family or friends who read this - I love you. If I lose sight of the priorities, PLEASE give me a swift kick in the bum and remind me of this blog post.<br />
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This also goes out to anyone suffering a recent loss or on-going tragic situation. You are loved and please reach out when you need to.<br />
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<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-82890118675854409342013-05-25T20:18:00.000-06:002013-05-25T20:18:52.524-06:00Letting go and releasingThis is a good time for the release and letting go of unwanted emotions; worry, angst, self-consciousness and anything else that holds one back. I don't know about you, but I want to be my genuine self, working daily to transcend darkness and find the path that's rewarding and purposeful.<div>
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Here is my list of the numerous worries I want released and to be free from. They are all immensely difficult and thus why I am writing this, so I will reference and remember the things I feel hold me back in life. I am not lecturing you... I am basically talking to myself. :-) </div>
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1. Stop worrying about money. Despite unemployment and all the hard times, you have always gotten by and been completely blessed by supportive family and unexpected financial blessings from others as well. You will never starve or be out on the streets. (Grateful)</div>
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2. Let go of the bitterness, anger, frustration and shame of losing jobs. You know that you are a hard worker, capable of doing anything you set your mind to and can be an asset and friendly, productive team member. (And gosh darn it, people like me! Holla if you remember that reference!) Any ending can be a new beginning to something better. Embrace the possibility of an amazing and unexpected new opportunity.</div>
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3. Don't care what people think. You know your daily battle - internal and external. You know you wake up every day counting your blessings, doing the very best that you can. You know your strengths and weaknesses and that you're strong even though you may appear weak to others. We often put others down to feel better about ourselves and you never want to do that. You can't control what anyone thinks. They may judge you and they may never forgive you for past actions. That is hurt they are holding onto and you are not responsible for that. We all make mistakes... granted you have made many that lasted far too long... but you have also changed - and should be proud of yourself for that. People either forgive you or they don't. They either like you or they won't. It's out of your control. Just work every minute of every day to love, forgive and be kind... because we are all facing one battle or another - and no one is perfect.</div>
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4. Stop expecting people to act a certain way. Just as you can't control what people think, you also can't control what they do or say. No matter what kind of responses (or lack of) you get, they may not have anything to do with you. Reactions from others could be a reflection of their own bad day, their own struggles or insecurities. Be confident knowing you're loved and always be more concerned about giving than receiving of love.</div>
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5. Release lingering bitterness about failed relationships; business, friends and romantic. You've learned from each and for some reason always have to learn the hard way. Terrible heart break, betrayal, confusion, frustration, anger... those relationships are over. Learn to trust again, just be wiser, stronger and more self-aware every day. </div>
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6. Stop punishing yourself for things you have worked hard to correct. If you dwell on everything you've done wrong you will never climb out of the shame. Give yourself credit for the ways you've changed and what you've survived (even if it doesn't seem like much to the outside world... you know). Possibly these difficulties are teaching you to be more resilient and hopefully won't fall apart at any little thing that goes wrong. Be proud of yourself for not giving up. </div>
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7. No more apologizing. What's past is past. The people who give up on you are just another example of things you cannot control.</div>
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8. You are not psychic, so stop assuming you know what others are thinking. These are your insecurities and these assumptions may or may not be correct - but you have no way of knowing.</div>
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9. Let go of the need to be perfect. That is an unattainable illusion. Embrace all of yourself and let go of the fear of others seeing your flaws. We all have flaws. Some people deny them or are very good at hiding them... You thought you were good at hiding yours but everyone saw right through that.</div>
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10. Don't beat yourself up if you don't remember all this crap. These are lifelong ambitions and goals. Things you know but keep forgetting. Breathe, smile, love, forgive... and re-read this often.</div>
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Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-13744213656692126132013-05-23T15:14:00.000-06:002013-05-29T12:59:19.824-06:00Words of wisdom from @RevCynthia<strong style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><em>I want you to know that wherever you are today, a bigger life awaits you.</em><br /><br />Here are the things I learned that may support you in "defying gravity":</strong><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">1. Always dream bigger than you think you can achieve at this moment</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">2. See the vision of your bigger life in your mind and embrace the possibility of it happening</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">3. Research and study so that you gain skills in the area of your dreams</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">4. Ask the universe to support you beyond your wildest imaginings</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">5. Say "yes" when opportunities arise. You may not be great at something but the universe will give you chances to learn and grow</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">6. Model people who do what you want to do</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">7. Expect Miracles and when they come celebrate</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;" />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Please affirm with me:</strong><br />
<em style="background-color: white; color: #542310; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Today, I boldly step into the amazing adventure of my life. I defy the odds of limitation and create a life of endless and enduring possibilities.</em>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-79317299060884414292013-05-11T13:19:00.001-06:002013-05-11T14:49:41.949-06:00Dance moviesLet's face it, most movies about dancing pretty much stink. The plot is predictable, the dialogue is cheesy... <div>We all know the plot. There's the misunderstood person whose passion is to dance and they struggle, struggle, till finally there's an ending breakthrough dance & they hear from a parent or authority figure, "oh I was so wrong! I see now dancing is who you are and what you have to do!" Or the protagonist has poverty or some kind of tragedy to overcome, couldn't dance & then re-discoveres it. Get a new plot already.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet true dance fans endure that for those few moments of dance number bliss. I wish dance movies could be told entirely through dance, like ballets are in the theatre.</div><div><br></div><div>Since I enjoy all types of dancing, I used to own You Got Served & would just fast forward through the talking parts... Until I realized I was mostly just fast forwarding.<br><div><br></div><div>I used to be a big fan of Dirty Dancing... Until I really got into other genres of dancing & new movies emerged that fused different styles together. Suddenly Jennifer Grey's big lift at the end of the movie didn't seem like that big a deal.</div><div><br></div><div>I think most ladies will agree, Channing Tatum dancing is divine. But I also think this is a great dance number & sweet that he met his wife in the first Step Up movie:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/41H2sVuqwjk">http://youtu.be/41H2sVuqwjk</a></div><div><br></div><div>Step Up 2 was pretty good... Again with the predictable plot and most definitely dialogue so cheesy you need crackers. But there are some new faces & an enjoyable last dance number:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/T_Vk7EXHmao">http://youtu.be/T_Vk7EXHmao</a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Step Up 3... So bad I'm not even going to share a link. I was excited when I saw the preview to see Joshua from So You Think You Can Dance was in it (most. ridiculous. scene. ever) and Twitch, who was kind of the best part of that film.</div><div><br></div><div>Now Step Up Revolution I thought was great; Start off with dance, put in a ton of styles, very little dialogue... We don't need the plot explained to us, just shut up & dance. Some amazing numbers in that one:</div><div>Business dance mob protest:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/paJgFFnV5tU">http://youtu.be/paJgFFnV5tU</a></div><div><br></div><div>Dance is truly art come alive:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/eBGj1rLr2ns">http://youtu.be/eBGj1rLr2ns</a></div><div><br></div><div>Pull-out-all-the-tricks huge number:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/KIxNN8ptE90">http://youtu.be/KIxNN8ptE90</a></div><div><br></div><div>And ending on a tender romantic note:</div><div><a href="http://youtu.be/ctIJX8Yd3xs">http://youtu.be/ctIJX8Yd3xs</a></div><div><br></div><div>And those aren't even all the dance numbers in that movie. Thank you!</div><div><br></div><div>I guess I posted this for reference to the scenes I love without having to fast forward through the rest of the movie.</div><div><br></div><div>I'll still enjoy the fun older pioneers from time to time, just for the memories (Footloose, Flashdance and man is Breakin entertaining)... And I'm not really talking about the fantastic Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire kinds of classics here because those are timeless & a different style I enjoy when in a certain mood.</div><div><br></div><div>All forms of dance impress me... It is art and poetry moving, bursting through beautiful forms in all types of ways. The genre just refects the origin & all demand stamina, passion & spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>At least with ballets, you can experience the whole story through dance. I dream of a movie like that using every genre possible. What bliss that would be!</div><div><br></div><div>With So You Think You Can Dance season 10 about to start, it will be exciting to see what new stars emerge and how much further the boundaries can be pushed.</div><div><br></div>Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-2213111387221919992013-04-21T14:52:00.000-06:002013-05-29T13:00:19.967-06:00Ben Browder Q & A 2013I really don't know the legality of writing in detail about a ticketed event at a convention... but I just had to share the fun that was Ben Browder for my fellow Farscape fans. He is also know for Stargate (which I didn't really watch but just might now!) and was also on a recent episode of Arrow. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLvzcT-F_z9rZSSf2X-dFUYLpj7SzeKCb6VXZI10djeFCkGq1TNEWKykDAuXRTtv8lJvr6Qed9bvTUu8R4B8GjakSyuOW1Mv9K2N5TxWiWtBFINbLyJbnxrmZEKXCQ7n_2AaI4T8rv9s/s1600/johncricton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLvzcT-F_z9rZSSf2X-dFUYLpj7SzeKCb6VXZI10djeFCkGq1TNEWKykDAuXRTtv8lJvr6Qed9bvTUu8R4B8GjakSyuOW1Mv9K2N5TxWiWtBFINbLyJbnxrmZEKXCQ7n_2AaI4T8rv9s/s1600/johncricton.jpg" /></a>But my heart will always beat for John Crichton of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farscape" target="_blank">Farscape</a>. Thanks to my AZ BFF Alisha, I was introduced to the most creative sci-fi show I've ever seen. Working with the Muppet studios and fantastical make-up creations, the show TRULY felt like another universe that would be phenomenally confusing to any human. And that is part of the humor in it for me... I don't want to spoiler anyone who plans to watch the show, but poor John is a brilliant astronaut who is accidentally sucked into another universe, fumbling his way through, perpetually confused and mocked mercilessly for it. <br />
I'd been kind of disappointed in certain sci-fi shows in the past in that the aliens didn't look THAT alien... just slightly divergent of a human appearance. But on Farscape, the aliens are stunningly creative, astoundingly elaborate - sometimes beautiful, sometimes horrific. (and everything in between) If you plan to watch this show, it's IMPERATIVE you watch from the first episode exactly in order - or you will be hopelessly lost.<br />
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Now, onto Ben's Q&A... first of all I have to thank Dakota for winning a contest and giving me a ticket to Starfest, or I wouldn't have been able to get into the events room to hear the Q & A. SECOND of all, I thank Chris so much for not caring about Ben and giving me his VIP seat in the FIRST row, RIGHT by the microphone where fans line up to ask questions. My heart was palpitating the whole time. Because of that, I got to be the very first question! I was a bit thrown off because I had a two part question, one being what it was like to work with the elaborate muppet creations. He started off before taking questions by saying, "yes it's cool to work with puppets, yes, I enjoyed this and that..." (I suppose he gets the puppet question a lot).<br />
So it was my turn at the mic... I said, "well you already touched on my first question about what it was like to work with those amazing puppet creations... can you expand on that?" And then I realized I didn't phrase it in a way that got my two questions in... His answer was, "Well, I learned that I'm really good at getting my butt kicked by puppets!" I asked the man holding the mic if I could ask another quick question and he said no, but Ben said, "oh c'mon let her ask another one." BE STILL MY HEART! So I asked what his favorite episode of Farscape was, and he said "the next one." :-) We all cheered... because much to the dismay of all, the show was canceled pre-maturely and left on a really difficult cliff-hanger.<br />
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I didn't think it was possible but I love him now more than ever. I gotta say for a man of 51, he's still gorgeous. And funny as all hell... but being that he's friends with Nathan Fillion, that's really no surprise now is it?? He lives in Malibu with his wife and kids (side note, his wife played a few different characters in Farscape but they were always Crichton's enemies and she was in such elaborate make up you would never recognize her. I will leave the true fans to Google these tid-bits).<br />
He told funny stories about his kids growing up in Australia where the show was filmed... his son being asked in kindergarten what his father did and his boy replying, "my dad is an astronaut." The teacher, confused probed the matter further and his son kept insisting, "no he's an astronaut, I've been in his ship!" Apparently this concerned the teacher a lot and called Ben in and he said, "yep, I'm an astronaut." (Farscape fans gave a big laugh.) His son also got to engage in lengthy conversations with Rygel (a muppet)... the puppeteer happy to let the conversation continue.<br />
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The backdrop for celebrities in the event room is black with lit stars, emulating space. Ben kept looking back and acting as if he was floating. It was pretty darn cute.<br />
<br />
He was asked how much of himself was in the role of Crichton - and he explained that he was given a bit a free reign as far as the sci-fi pop culture references in Farscape. I thought that was pretty cool. Not only that, but he's a true geek... He was asked what character he would like to be in Firefly and he was stumped and eventually said, a male courtesan? To which all the females cheered extensively. He said he would be honored to be cast in any Joss Whedon production because he respects and likes his works immensely (another comment that got raucous cheers from the audience). Ben was very athletic in high school, but he was also a dungeon master in D&D. :-) He knows all the sci-fi shows and made sure to watch all the seasons of Stargate before his role began.<br />
<br />
He also amused and entertained everyone with tales of what it was like to film Stargate episodes in the arctic (and try to sleep in a tiny wooden shack with very large men). I really can't quite emulate his humor in this blog post... he was always funny in his responses, not always answering the questions directly but still maintaining a respect for the fans. I liked how the questions would lead him to humorous tangents about different filming experiences and how much credit he would give his fellow actors in making him look better.<br />
<br />
All in all... it was a frelling fantastic two hours!!!<br />
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<br />Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-19263890443828213482013-04-15T02:55:00.001-06:002013-05-29T13:01:10.326-06:00Words of Wisdom<div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;">Isn't it amazing how much of our lives we spend </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;">seeking and demanding to be right? We can be </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;">right or we can be happy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">- Dr. Roger W. Teel</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-------------------------</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: 'book Antiqua', Palatino; font-size: 16px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Consider this: Whatever we say about anybody else contains at its core an affirmation about ourselves.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">- Dr. Roger W. Teel</span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); color: #264e87; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px;">"This most basic question, who am I, is the one that is most overlooked. We spend most of our days telling ourselves or the other we're someone important, someone unimportant, someone big, someone little, someone young, someone old. Never truly questioning its most basic assumption. Who are you, really? How do you know that is who you truly are? Is that true, really?<br /><br />When you turn your attention to your question, who am I, perhaps you'll see an entity that has your face and your body. But, who is aware of that entity? Are you the object, or the awareness of the object? The object comes and goes. The parent, the child, the lover, the abandoned one, the enlightened one, the victorious one, the defeated one, these identifications all come and go. The awareness of these identifications is always present.<br /><br />The misidentification of yourself as an object or awareness leads to extreme pleasure or extreme pain, and endless cycle of suffering. When you are willing to stop the misidentification and discover directly and completely that you are the awareness itself and not these impermanent definitions, the search for yourself and thoughts ends. When the question "Who" is followed innocently, purely, all the way back to its source, there is a huge astounding realization. There is no entity there at all. There is only the undefinable, boundless recognition of yourself as inseparable from anything else. You are free, you are whole, you are endless. . . Ganjali</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); color: #264e87; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px;">--------------------------------</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); color: #80110f; font-family: Geogia, Textile; font-size: 16px;">"Everyone wants to be happy but what makes for lasting happiness? Interestingly, research is now validating ancient wisdom in many ways. Money, for example, is surprisingly ineffective-- it can alleviate the suffering of deprivation, but above a certain minimum does precious little to increase lasting happiness.<br /><br />So what does work? Many things will bump up happiness temporarily, but long term is a very different matter. Researchers have found three thing that succeed in doing this. What are they?<br /><br />1) Cultivating gratitude, and particularly effective is writing down something each day for which you feel grateful.<br /><br />2) Reframing difficult experiences in a positive way. This, of course, is the old practice of looking for the silver lining.<br /><br />3) Generosity. The old wisdom is true--in giving to others we give to ourselves, and the happy result is what's called a "helper's high.<br /><br />May you be happy!" -Roger Walsh</span><br />
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Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627319767491792410.post-80954378195355022122012-10-31T12:06:00.004-06:002013-05-29T13:02:27.897-06:00Halloween JokesSent from a co-worker... enjoy :)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why did the Cyclops have to
close his school?<br />
Because he only had one pupil.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why don't
angry witches ride their brooms? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">They're afraid of flying off
the handle <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do skeletons say before
they begin dining? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bone appetit ! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Do zombies eat popcorn with
their fingers?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">No they eat them separately.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What is a vampire's favorite
coffee?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">De-coffinated<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
Who did Frankenstein take to the prom? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">His ghoul friend <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What do witches put on their hair? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Scare spray <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What kind of mistakes do spooks make? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Boo boos <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
How do you mend a broken Jack-o-lantern? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With a pumpkin patch <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
When does a skeleton laugh? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When something tickles his
funny bone <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
Why was the mummy so tense? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He was all wound up <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What does a skeleton order at a restaurant? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Spare ribs <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Who did the ghost invite to
his party? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Anyone he could dig up! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What is a monster's favorite food? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ghoul scout cookies <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What did the skeleton say while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I'm bone to be wild! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
What's a vampire's favorite fruit? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A nectarine <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do you call a ghost with
a broken leg? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hoblin Goblin <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do you call a witch who
lives at the beach?</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A sand-witch <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What is a Mummie's favorite
type of music?</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Wrap! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do you call a goblin who
gets too close to a bonfire?</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A toasty ghosty. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What is the worst thing about
twin witches?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">You can't tell which is
witch<span style="color: #1f497d;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do mommy ghosts tell
their kids when they get in the car?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bookle up your sheetbelts! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why wasn't there any food
left after the monster party?<br />
Because everyone was a goblin!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why is it
hard for a ghost to tell a lie?<br />
Because you can see right through him<i>.</i></span> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Niellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01701220651305228870noreply@blogger.com0