Update on Working from Home

Working from Home Update

Here is an update on what's been happening since my layoff on Aug. 31st. I really would like to hear from others who have been laid off and how they are coping with it. I am also open for any great work-from-home ideas.

I really don't know how I had time to do anything for myself while I was working full time. It's simply amazing how much I can accomplish now that I don't have a job to go to every day! Granted, there is quite a bit of worry over how I am going to pay the mortgage and other bills, but we seem to be surviving okay for now.

I recently went to the doctor for a check up and my blood pressure and diabetes is under much better control now. I think the stress from working and commuting 10 hours a week,just to get back and forth to work, was not good for my health! Plus now I time to exercise and walk (actually I am forced to walk since I can't drive anymore).

As far as working from home...I now have much more time to concentrate on my web design business http://www.webdesign4him.com/ and have picked up several new clients. I am also doing telemarketing from my home for a local company. The deal I had with another local guy where I was handling all his EBay auctions worked well for about a month, but we both decided that a long term relationship just wasn't beneficial for either one of us, so we parted company this week but left the door open for future projects.

I am experimenting right now with placing ads on Facebook and I have been seeing an incredible amount of impressions. Not a whole lot of click throughs yet but there were a few. I will keep you posted and let you know if any business comes out of Facebook ads.




Of course I use Google Adsense on most of my websites and I have been consistantly getting checks from Google. Nothing like Shoemoney but every little bit helps. (By the way if you haven't been to Shoemoney's site you are missing out.) I also have several affiliate programs going on with places like Commision Junction, Linkshare, and Amazon. These also bring me small checks every now and then. I need to work on fine tuning these. Commission Junction has been the best source so far for affiliates.

The bottom line is I am struggling to make ends meet but I do realize that it is possible to make a living working from home. I can see that it will take a real concentrated effort on my part to drum up new business and stay motivated. Since I have no other options available I am sure that this will all work out!

Please leave your comments and suggestions for work-from-home ideas.

The Beatles

Last night my wife and I went to the see a Beatles Concert...what an awesome show!

You probably are asking yourself, "How can you see a Beatles Concert when John and George are dead and there is no more Beatles?"

My answer is The Beatles are the greatest band there ever was and they will live on forever! Actually it was a concert by "Rain", but you would think you were watching the real Beatles. They looked like The Beatles and all of the music was live and sounded exactly like the real deal! A great show, I highly recommend seeing this when it comes to your area.

Here is the official Rain website. Check it out.

Imagine video:

Blackbird video:

Please leave your comments.

Working from Home

Working From Home

Here's an update on a previous post. I was laid off from work on August 31st and also had my driver's license taken away due to vision problems. I had to get creative and find a way to make money without having to leave the house!

Since then I have been trying to earn a living by working from home. I already had a couple of dozen clients that I had designed websites for so I started there by asking for referrals. I got a few new clients from that process which helps a little.

I also answered an ad on Craig's List from a guy who sells a high volume of merchandise on EBay. I worked out a deal with him where I get paid for doing the listings for him so he can devote his time to other aspects of his business. I get so much per listing and a commission when the item sells.

I am also trying to negotiate a telemarketing deal with a local company. That hasn't come to fruition yet, but it looks promising. There are tons of ads out there for work from home opportunities but to weed through them all and find the legitimate ones is a cumbersome job.

I also am using Google Adsense which I have been using for a few years now and get regular checks from that (not enough to pay the mortgage, but every little bit helps). In addition to that I use Commission Junction as an affiliate program and just started using the Amazon affiliate program.

All of these things by themselves are not enough income to live on; however, when they are combined together it starts to add up. The moral of this story is: if you want to make money working from home you can do it! It's not a get rich quick scheme, but it can be done. Just take one baby step at a time.

The most important thing to remember when you are just starting is that you need to be disciplined. It is just like a job. I get up early every day and jump right into it. Hopefully, as things start to pick up, I will spend less time working and make more money.

I am open to suggestions...please leave your comments.

Business Cards - Your Best Friend

Business Cards - Your Best Friend

In this day of modern technology and online advertising there is still one advertising tool that is often overlooked. It may seem like something out of the stone ages; however, your business card can still be your number one marketing tool.



Marketing study after marketing study has proven that Personal Referrals / Word-Of-Mouth advertising is THE...UNDISPUTED, HANDS DOWN best way to attract new business! The tool that goes hand-in-hand with this method of advertising is your business card.




Let me give you an example of how my business card recently landed me a new client. Just last week I was talking to a lady in my church and I mentioned that since I was laid off from work I was focusing my full attention on designing web sites. I handed her my business card and asked her to keep me in mind if she ran into anyone who had a need for an affordable web site.




The very next morning I received a phone call from someone who was looking for a web site and was referred to me by the lady in my church. This person needed a web site right away for a time sensative campaign and I was able to get the job done and her web site launched within 48-hours.




A couple of days later I was at a wedding shower and much to my surprise this new client just happened to be the MC at the shower and I was able to meet her face to face for the first time. She was excited about the great service I had done for her by getting her web site online so quickly and was spreading the word about me to all of her friends.




Do business cards still work? You bet they do! I never go anywhere without a stack of business cards in my pocket. If you need a business card made I would suggest using Vista Print, you can do it all online and they have a FREE BUSINESS CARD OFFER you can take advantage of. They have many pre-designed card styles or you can design your own.

McCain Pulls a Rabbit Out of the Hat - Her Name is Sarah Palin

McCain Pulls a Rabbit Out of the Hat - Her Name is Sarah Palin

Sometimes when things are looking down, you just need to reach into your bag of magic tricks and pull a rabbit out of the hat. That's exactly what John McCain did when he selected Sarah as his running mate!

Now I'm not usually one to talk about politics, in fact I would go as far as to say that I hate politics! However, I must put in my two-cents worth about this year's Presidential race.

Things were looking pretty good for Obama and he had quite a lead in all the polls over McCain until The Repulican Convention when Sarah Palin was announced! What a great move that was by the Republicans. It seemed like McCain had been keeping under the radar while Obama did all the talking and then BAM! Now Palin has helped to push McCain up in the polls and has won over the hearts of the American women voters! Things are starting to get interesting now.

I have always liked McCain, since I am a Vietnam Veteran, and I'm sure you are familiar with McCain's POW story. Now since his latest move I like him even more. I watched Sarah Palin on TV the night she gave her acceptance speech and I was really impressed with her.

She has been active in Alaska, first as a City Council member from 1992-1996 and then as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska from 1996-2002. She went on to be the Chairperson of The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commision from 2003-2004 and then the Governor of Alaska in 2006!

Palin was the first female to hold the Governor's office in Alaska and she is the first woman to run on the Repuplican Party presidential ticket. If she is elected, she will be the first female Vice President of the United States.

Please leave your comments, I would love to hear what everyone thinks about the McCain/Palin team.

Kick me when I'm down!

Okay...so you think you had a really bad day? How about this?

The company I have worked at for the past eight years had a nationwide cutback last week and I was one of the people who got layed off! So now I have no job, no paycheck, no medical insurance, no life insurance, etc. etc. etc.

I took the news pretty calmly as I was escorted out of the building with my little box of personal belongings in my hand. As I made the 45 minute drive home, I thought about what I was going to do now that I was unemployed. It's not very easy finding a job these days, especially if you are 58 years old!

When I got home I checked the mailbox and found a letter there from the NC Department of Motor Vehicles. Thinking this cannot be good news I sat down to read the letter. Because I am diabetic and have had several eye surgeries my vision is really poor. In fact, I can really only see out of one eye as the other is nothing but a big blur. I also have no peripheral vision at all in either eye, so I can't see up or down or sideways, just straight ahead.

Now in addition to having no job I no longer have a driver's license! That ought to make it really hard to find a new job now since I can't drive anymore. I live in a small town where there is no public transportation and not very many places to work within walking distance, so I am really in a mess now!

I am trying to look on the bright side of all of this and find the silver lining...but it's extremely difficult. I always wanted to work from home anyway, so maybe this is my big chance!

I am open to any suggestions. If you know of a legitimate work from home opportunity please let me know. I have excellent computer skills. I already have a small web design business with a couple of dozen clients, but that doesn't make enough money to pay the mortgage. I will try to expand upon that business but meanwhile I need a regular income. So I am all ears...please leave a comment with your suggestions or email me at cmmdtp@gmail.com.

Praise Band Questions

I play in our Praise Band at church and have a few questions which I hope I can get some answers to here.

We play your standard hymns and a little contemporary Christian music as well as some original songs. I play the guitar, mountain dulcimer and harmonica. We have two other guitar players and a few vocalists. Our problem is coming up with new songs to do each week.

Where do we find Praise Band music? We are not really crazy about the contemporary Christian music that is out there and we can only play so many old standard hymns over and over again!

We have taken some old rock and roll songs and changed the lyrics around to fit the church crowd and that seems to have worked well. Everyone likes the songs we do with the dulcimer, but it's hard to find mountain dulcimer music.

We play every week and we keep recycling the same songs over and over. Where can we find good praise songs?

Anyone out there with suggestions? Please leave your comments here.

Where's Jack? I got the 24 blues!

Where's Jack? I got the 24 blues!

Here it is January and I should be watching the new season of 24; however, due to the writers strike there is no new season! Bummer!
It's ironic that all the terrorists and bad guys couldn't stop Jack Bauer but a writer's strike stopped him cold!


I heard they could have ran some of the new episodes but decided to wait until they had the whole season, I guess that's a good decision. I'm just really bummed out because I have been a 24 addict ever since season one!
Here it is January

Anyone else feeling blue and having Jack withdrawals?


Please leave a comment!

A New You in the New Year in 5 Easy Steps

A New You in the New Year in 5 Easy Steps
By: Mike Marinaro

Every year about this time people make ridiculous New Year's resolutions that they never end up sticking to. Don't be one of those people. Here are some resolutions that are easy to obtain and will make you feel good about yourself!

1. Every day do something just for you
We all get busy doing whatever it is that we do on a daily basis and more often than not we have very little time for ourselves. So this year make sure that you set aside a little bit of time each and every day, just for you! It can be something as simple as taking a walk, working in your garden, reading a book, writing in your journal, or drinking a cup of your favorite tea. Just make sure it is something out of your ordinary routine…something that you do just for you to make yourself feel good!

2. Learn something new each month
Change is a good thing! It is too easy to fall into the same old boring routine and before you know it you find yourself in a big rut! Set a goal to learn something new each month this year. It could be a foreign language, or maybe taking a class in pottery or a dance lesson, maybe learning to play the guitar. By doing new things you will feel much better about yourself.

3. Pat yourself on the back
You deserve it…if no else tells you what a great job you have done; then give yourself a big pat on the back! Your accomplishments are important so make sure you recognize them and treat yourself to something nice when you reach a goal or achieve something you have been trying to do for a long time.

4. Stay healthy in the New Year
Fitness is important, and it will make you feel better if you are healthy. Make a little time each week to exercise and try to eat healthier in the New Year. There are thousands of different diets out there and they all suck! If you are anything like me it's very difficult to stick to a regimented diet and exercise program; however, I have found that just by recognizing that I need to eat healthier and exercise regularly, it helps. Here are a few tips: •Be aware of what you eat and how much you eat •Avoid the fast food joints •Cut out the late night snacks •Park far away from the store not real close…the walk will do you good •If you are watching TV, do a few sit-ups or crunches instead of just sitting there eating popcorn

5. Set goals that are obtainable
Goal setting is important, but make sure you set goals that are obtainable. Instead of saying that you are going to lose twenty pounds this year; how about just saying that you will work on eating healthier and exercising more so you can lose some weight. Keep track of your progress and reward yourself for sticking to your exercise schedule and eating plan. Before you know you will have lost a few pounds! It's much easier and a whole lot less frustrating to set goals that you can actually reach! Good luck with your resolutions and Happy New Year!

Please leave your comments about New Year's Resolutions and tell us what you plan to do.

Marion Jones Stripped of Her Gold!

The International Olympic Committee officially stripped Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals and wiped her name from the record books. She was the first female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics. Now that accomplishment has been erased!

Jones had previously denied using performance-enhancing drugs; however, in October she admitted to using steroids before the Sydney Olympics. The IOC also banned Jones from the Beijing Olympics next year. They don't want her to attend in any capacity...not as an athelete or a coach. The IOC may also ban her from future
games as well.

Jones' problems aren't over with yet. The United States Olympic Committee has asked her to repay more than 100,000 dollars in prize and bonus money she had received. All of this bad news for Marion Jones, but good news for the war against doping. It shows that the rules will be strickly enforced and the cheats will be exposed.

Please leave your comments.

Dancing with the Stars

Dancing With The Stars

Photo credit: www.abc.com

Another season of Dancing with the Stars has ended. I must admit that I have become addicted to this show. I love to dance and always have liked to watch ballroom dancing by professionals.

My favorites this season were Marie Osmond and Jane Seymor...let's hear it for the older women! They both did an amazing job. I think Jane is so elegant when she dances, I was sad when she left the show. And Marie is very entertaining.

In my opinion HELIO CASTRONEVES and his partner JULIANNE HOUGH deserved the win. Helio just has so much personality, you've just got to love him; and for someone that never danced before he sure picked it up quickly!

Please leave your comments and let us know if you agree with the choice for winner or if you wanted some else to take home the trophy.

Oprah On YouTube

Oprah On YouTube

Now you can check out Oprah on YouTube. The 53-year-old Winfrey has been hosting her own show for 22 years and says she is excited about this new venture. There will be behind-the-scenes video footage from her T.V. show and interviews with people who have become famous through YouTube. She said there will also be videos sent in by her viewers posted to her new channel on YouTube.

Winfrey's television show is alreaded watched by 30 million viewers each week in the United States alone, imagine how many people will be checking out the YouTube channel!

Oprah is already the highest-paid celebrity on T.V., I'm sure her new YouTube channel will add to her fame and fortune. I looked at her welcome video on you tube and it has had 224,925 hits so far!

Here's the link to her YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/OPRAH

Way to go Oprah!

Please leave a comment.

Dr. Watson Opens Mouth and Inserts Foot!

Dr. Watson Opens Mouth and Inserts Foot!

James Watson may be one of the world's top scientists but he is losing friends fast after making comments about black people being less intelligent than whites!

Dr. Watson is best known for his pioneering work with DNA and he won the Nobel Prize in 1962. While in Britain he made the comment heard around the world which caused this storm of controversy. Watson made an apology for his comments, but it's too little too late! The damage has already been done. He was suspended from his job at The Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory in New York and has canceled his book tour in the UK.

The 79 year old scientist says that his words were twisted to mislead readers about his position. He told a British weekly newspaper he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really."

The rest of the scientific community was quick to state that there is no scientific proof to back up what Dr. Watson said. His peers are saying that he has done significant damage to the reputation of the entire scientific community!

What do you think about Dr. Watson's remarks? Please leave a comment.

Take the Nerd Test

Take the Nerd Test

I found this Nerd Test on my friend Peter Porcupine's blog. Check it out when you get a few minutes and take the Nerd Test. See where you rank -- it's pretty cool! I took the test and ended up with a Nerd Score of 96. You know you want to find out what your Nerd Score is...so go ahead and take the test.

Please leave a comment.

Is Next Season's 24 in Jeopardy?

Is Next Season's 24 in Jeopardy?

Kiefer Sutherland might end up in jail for a year because this was not his first
DUI arrest! It seems that he has also violated his probation from the last
offense; therefore, Kiefer could find himself with a mandatory jail sentence of
anywhere from 5-days up to a year!

I'm sure the writers of 24 are hard at work trying to come up with a 24 season
without Jack Bauer.

• Will the producers kill Jack off? Then what would happen
  to the series?



• Is it possible to have a whole season of 24 with no Jack Bauer?

I have been addicted to 24 ever since season one and I can't wait to see how the next season will play out. Since there is already a very long list of celebrities who have gotten away with DUI and much worse, with just a slap on the wrist and little or no jail time, this may all be a moot point! I guess we will find out in January 2008.

Please leave your comments.

OJ - In the News Again, What do you think?

OJ - In the News Again, What do you think?

The infamous OJ Simpson is once again all over the news.

In my humble opinion they should lock him up and throw away the key...

What do you think?

• Is he just looking for another 15 minutes of fame?
• Did he take too many hits when he was playing football?
• Was he set up?
• Did he do it?
• Will he get off again because he is a celebrity?

Leave a comment and tell me what you think about the latest OJ situtation.

Blogrush-Great New Tool

I just found a GREAT NEW TOOL to drive more traffic to your blog, it's called BlogRush...check it out!

This is a great blog syndication network, make sure you sign up today!

Does Barry Bonds Deserve the Home Run King Title?

Does Barry Bonds Deserve the Home Run King Title?

Ya'll have seen the news...Barry Bonds hit homerun #756 which makes him the HOME RUN KING! He has broken Hank Aaron's record -- WAY TO GO BARRY!

You can see video here: Home Run #756

But wait just a minute now...

I want to know if you think Barry should be the homerun king. What about all the controversy and allegations about steroid usage? Have we forgotten about that? If he was using steroids then does he still deserve to hold the title or should he be disqualified?

Is America just going to look the other way and ignore the fact that rules were broken here if Barry was using the drugs? Are we saying it's okay to cheat and use steroids to build your body up in sports?

I give Barry his "props", he is a great ball player, but I can't just sit back and watch without saying something about the drug issue!

What do you think? Please leave your comments.

Making Money on the Internet

OKAY...I have been blogging for a couple of years and have had websites on the Internet even longer, I am making a little money from both. I am curious to know who is making a living on the Internet and how?

Here are some of the ways I am earning money:

• Google Adsense


• Affiliate Programs


• E-Mail Newsletters


• Website Design


• Selling adspace on my websites and in my newsletters

Now mind you, none of the above methods have made me enough money where I can quit my day job; however, I do get checks just about every month from these sources, and every little bit helps!

I will go into more details about each of these methods of Internet income in future posts.

Please leave a comment and share your ideas.

Blown Away by BB King!

Blown Away by BB King

Last night I had the opportunity to see the one and only BB King perform...what an awesome show! I was blown away by the King of the Blues!
The man is 81 years old, and a diabetic but he played his heart out for a packed house for two hours non-stop! He had to sit in a chair to play but that didn't slow him down...he rocked the house!

Ever since I first picked up a guitar 45 years ago it has been my dream to see BB King play. I am so grateful to my wonderful wife Christine, who made all of this possible by getting me the tickets for father's day.

What an inspiration BB King is. Not only because he is a great guitar player, but also because he is 81 and a diabetic. I too am a diabetic and sometimes it really slows me down. However, after seeing what BB could do last night I will think twice about complaining that I don't feel up to doing something because of my diabetes!

The show started out with his band playing a couple of numbers with a horn section a bass guitar, drummer and keyboard. Then they brought out the man himself. BB brought the crowd to its feet as he took the stage and strapped on "Lucille"!

He then proceeded to sing and play like only BB King can do and kept us entertained for two hours. Every now and then he would tell a story between songs, some people didn't like all the talking, but I could listen to him ramble on all night long as long as he played a few licks in between stories!

If you haven't seen BB King perform yet...make sure you catch his show next time he's in town!