Freelance Feast or Famine?
April 28, 2008
Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like “feast or famine”.
At the very beginning, it’s almost all famine. You spend more time looking for freelance writing jobs than you spend actually writing, and, quite apart from being utterly demoralizing, when you have a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed, it can be absolutely terrifying, too.
Of course, once you get past those early days of struggling for work and start to build up a portfolio and a reputation, you move into the “feast” era of your freelance writing career and everything should be rosy.
The problem is however, that those early days can be hard to forget. You can’t help but remember the days of living off ramen noodles while trying to get your freelance writing career off the ground, and there’s no way in hell you want to go back there. Like Scarlett O’Hara you vow never to be poor or hungry again ? and so you accept every single assignment that comes your way, and end up working yourself into a greasy spot at the same time.
They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano… but When I Started to Play…
April 28, 2008
Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in magazines and newspapers:
“They laughed when I sat down at the piano…but when I started to play…” ?
I remember very well the first time I played piano for a group. They DID laugh. It was a disaster. I overheard the leader say “Let’s get somebody with some rhythm in there to play.”
Ouch!
That hurt. But I told myself right then and there that I would learn to play the piano so well that no one would ever laugh at me again.
Guess what?
Nobody laughs anymore. And they don’t laugh at my students, either.
Why?
Because I discovered…
– The BACKDOOR to piano playing –
What in the world is the “backdoor to piano playing?
Chords.
Chords are a way in to the world of piano playing without having to go through the front door: years and years of scales, drills, rote practicing, etc. Chords are really a shortcut to understanding and playing music without all the formal training.
Sunflowers
April 27, 2008
Hi there,
I am Jhon Saunders and recently took up gardening as a hobby. i have managed to buy cheap gardening equipment and also items such as blubs, lights etc. I have submitted various articles on mow I did this. To view this articles, please search under my name.
Sunflowers, what are they and why am I writing about them?
Well to put it frankly, sumflowers really do liven up any garden and they are so easy to cultivate. Literally, all you need to do is plant a sunflower seed ( you are not going to ask me where to get hold of these are you!) and then just add water.
The advantages of growning flowers like sunflowers is they also attract bees. Due to there size, they also add a focal point to the garden. For this reason, most houses here in the UK, tend to plan them in their front yard.
Just out of interest, if you goto the South Of France, you can drive through fields and fields of sunflowers- a very beautiful se.
Fitness Workout - Exercising the Present Moment!
April 27, 2008
The following exercise program has been designed to get the mind firmly in the present, not yesterday or tomorrow but right here, right now. It’s a particularly great exercise to become familiar with because it helps during times when you need to totally concentrate on an important task. There have been many times in the past when I’ve been overwhelmed by the many different tasks on my ‘to do list’. Learning to become present has helped me to focus totally on one thing at a time and makes me far more effective in my work output.
You can try one, more than one, or all of the following exercises to access the present moment and as you do them, retain your focus for at least three minutes. The longer you stay focused the longer you’ll be in the present moment.
If you start thinking about dinner; what’s on television; the shopping etc, then you’re no longer in the present but the future or possibly the past. If and when this happens refocus on your breathing to again be aware of the present moment.
Alaska Glacier Cruises: Alaska Up Close and Personal
April 27, 2008
What do you have in mind for your next vacation? Are you planning another trip to the same tired beach that you visit every year or an “adventure” to a controlled, commercialized theme park? If so, I have a suggestion for you: Alaska glacier cruises.
What if I told you that you could do something truly unique and adventurous, something that the whole family would love? What if I told you that there was a family cruise destination so breathtakingly beautiful and teeming with wildlife that you could spend days captivated at the rail of a cruise ship and still not get enough? Would you be interested? Sure you would.
Few people have visited Alaska without having been changed by the experience. Much of the terrain consists of gorgeous, formidable glaciers and ice fields which cover over 5% of Alaska’s land surface.
This natural beauty can be seen from many top tourist destinations of Alaska including Juneau, Valdez, Seward and the Matanuska Valley, but is usually only fully appreciated with an up close and personal view that only a cruise through the inland waterways can afford. From this vantage point you will stand spellbound by tidewater glaciers that reach over 100 ft. in height and the antics of wildlife such as humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, dolphins, brown bears and bald eagles.
Petting a Dog is Good For Both of You
April 27, 2008
Studies have shown that regularly petting a dog brings a person the following benefits:
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Improvement in chronic illnesses (such as Alzheimer’s or AIDS)
- Improvement in emotional condition — easing of stress, sadness, and pain.
A lot of that is common knowledge. Pick up any book on pet ownership and it will tell you these things. But what about the dogs themselves?
Well, a recent study at the University of Missouri showed that after a round of petting, both the human and the dog had a 10% decrease in blood pressure.
For the dog, it didn’t end there. Levels of cortisol, the hormone released by the body when it’s under stress, decreased.
In another study (cited in the Vet Med Today journal), researchers explored this question directly. They found that when a dog gets frightened, their fear (as measured by their heart rate and blood pressure) would drop dramatically when a person petted them.
So pet your dog as much as possible… everyday… but especially when he or she is under stress (such as during 4th of July fireworks).
Focusing Your Reading and Finding Ideas
April 26, 2008
Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas, but usually do not offer more specific suggestions, such as pinpointing and identifying areas that you can select from and write about. From my own experience, I know how frustrating this can be. I took endless notes and saved countless newspaper clippings, only to discard nearly all of them a few years later.
Little by little, I found a way which works for me. Here is what I have done:
1. I read the paper the way I usually do every day for about two or three weeks, and after reading it, returned to the pages in which there was one or more interesting articles. If the article was about something which I expected to write about fairly soon, I’d clip it. Otherwise, I would note the article titles and pages.
2. I’d also visit the library, examining new nonfiction and fiction books first, before browsing in the stacks. If I knew that I’d read a given book immediately, I’d borrow it. Otherwise, I’d note the title and/or subject. If I was at a bookstore, I would pay attention to books whose titles caught my attention and perhaps buy one or two of them for reference.
10 Tips In Better Photography
April 26, 2008
10 Tips In Better Photography
by: Michael Colucci
Taking a good photo isn’t as hard as you may think. You don’t need the most expensive camera or years of experience, just 10 simple tips.
Enjoy!
Tip 1 - Use All Your Available Space
Don’t be afraid to use all the space in your photo. If you want to take a picture of something, it’s ok for it to take up the whole shot with no or very little background showing. Keep distractions out of your shot
Tip 2 - Study Forms
This is a vital aspect to photography. Understanding forms in your photos. Don’t see an object, she its shape and its form and find the best angle to photograph it from. Form is all around us and I highly suggest you read as many books on it as possible.
Tip 3 - Motion In Your Photos
Never have motion in your photos if you are photographing a still object. If there is something moving while you are trying to photograph a stationery object, your photo won’t turn out anywhere near as well. Also never put a horizon line in the center of your frame.
Tips For Keeping Your Pug Happy And Healthy
April 26, 2008
Bringing home a Pug can change our life, but it is also a big responsibility. When you become a Pug owner, it is up to you to make sure that your pet’s needs are met including, proper care, a safe environment and lots of love! Caring for a dog is a commitment, but has many rewards.
One of the most important things you can do to make sure your Pug has all the tools he needs to stay safe is to give him obedience training. A dog that is not properly trained will be a nuisance to others, while one that has the appropriate obedience training is a pleasure to be around. Many a dog has been considered a "bad" dog when all he really needed was the owner to take the time out to train him properly.
If you train your dog properly, not only will he have some cool tricks to show off, but it will also add to his safety. If your dog is properly trained, then you will be able to call him back to you should he be heading towards a dangerous situation. A well trained Pug Will be well behaved around strangers and the family ? an obedient companion. Plus the training process can help define you as the master and act as a bonding experience for you and your pet.
The Ballad of: Brawling Mad-dog Sergeant Rook [Now in: SPANISH and English]
April 26, 2008
English Version
A bunch of us guys in the hut
In ?Nam
Were playing cards, singing songs;
In a solo-room, back of the hut
Lay mad-dog, Sergeant Rook;
And watching from a distance
Was his sidekick, Corporal Cook.
When out of the night, he wanted
To fight
This bully of six-foot-two
Dog-drunk, smelling like a skunk
I wanted to fight him too.
He wobbled like a duck as I
Blocked his punch-
(for I was drunk too),
And I kicked him several times
I guess-
Yet he didn’t fall, as expected
This Sergeant I barely knew?
There was no man, could beat
This bear of a brut,
In our company, or there about
So I kicked him in the groin
Again-
And still he didn’t shout!
And such was I, as he looked
At me
Puzzled from brow to foot
He was a demon from hell I
Thought
This mad-dog Sergeant Rook.
With the face of bulldog
And a deadly stare
I swear he was three hundred
Pounds;
I twisted my body like a cobra
Jumped in the air like a bird
