Day 84 - Socialized my business

Not economically - technologically. Today, I posted my first article on our new company blog. That was then advertised on our new Facebook fan page. And of course, I twittered about it (but that's not a new occurrence) And on LinkedIn, I connected to all the great people I met at last night's networking event. Whew. This stuff takes time. But it's really fun and I feel we are making progress.

And my company? Well, yes, I never did explain that to you. My biz partner and I started our own creative writing and marketing company last year. I've been working from my kitchen table for a few months now. It is a dream come true. With clients, it will be even better. ;-)

And you probably didn't know this, either, but Aidan Rose is not my real name. It's my stage name, from my music days. Those days are not gone, just on hiatus. This blog has allowed me to live on with her, as I build my company under my professional (real) name. For now, I'd like to keep those separate - writing in obscurity is freedom for the timid.

Day 68 - Tried a poll

In writing about KISS on my Tuning In, Checking Out blog, I discovered there is ongoing debate about the validity of the band. In a very black and white war, the division is over whether the band should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What do you think? You can tell me by one click in my *ta-da!* first ever poll right here. Thank you for participating!

Day 55 - Took my first piano lesson online

Way back in January, I learned my first keyboard song, then promptly forgot it. Dust bunnies called my new keyboard home for about a month, like so many exercise machines across the nation. But this is much more fun than an exercise machine, so it's time to dust it off.

I would like to take lessons with a teacher at some point, but for now, I want to learn the very basics. I found Andrew Furmanczyk's video lessons through a You Tube search. Lesson 1 and I like his sense of humor, honesty, and crazy hair. He got me excited to keep going so that's what I plan on doing.

Day 52 - Returned to basics

My other blog has changed a lot since the first post in April 2009.

April-June = essays on career, posted here and there
July-August = essays on any topic + playlists, posted once a week
September = nothing at all
October = essays, playlists and website suggestions, all in one post, three times a week
October-today = daily posts with each day dedicated to a new thing: website suggestions, creative writing, essays, local cafe reviews and music suggestions

But this hobby has been getting in the way of real work. I take time during the day to write about the great coffee at a place, when no one cares, especially me. When the writer doesn't care, the work is less than inspiring so the overall blog output was not satisfactory. I had this idea that people out there were waiting every day for my posts, when in reality, my four followers just want me to be happy. My passion is about music so I'm returning back to just that. Essays and music suggestions, with some silly creative writing thrown in for fun. I feel relived and uncluttered.

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool ~ Richard Feynman, physicisct

Day 50 - Put myself out there

I have been hesitant to put my photo on many of my social media accounts. I just needed some time to get the feel of it, I guess, like moving into a new place. But now I'm settled in, nestled on the couch with my feet up. Comfortable. Facebook, this blog (and my other blog), and Twitter all have my smiling face on it, and a full name. It's good to share, to be a real person behind the words. The inspiration came from today's quote on the sister blog: The only gift is a portion of thyself ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 20 - Learned to share digitally --> Oops, no, scratch that

It is so convenient, when reading a great blog post, to click a button to share it with friends. I was so excited to learn about Share This, which allows your post to be shared by email, text, Twitter, Facebook, etc with ease. I signed up for an account, followed the directions for Blogger, and the button shows up on my page after every post. Perfect! It's a great day when I learn new technology tricks.

Fast forward to the evening, when I'm checking out my blog. Not so perfect now. The button is there, but the links do not show up when you hover or click or anything. I then spent about two hours trying to research and fix the problem, but to no avail. So then I was pissed. I cancelled my account and conceptually stormed off. Argh! So today's new thing ended poorly, but some of them have to, right?

If anyone has any tips for me, I am all ears...

Day 12 - Learned about California

Do you know your state's motto? Or flower? No, neither did I. But I've always been curious so took a smidge of time to find out. You can, too. Infoplease.com has a very informative section on state symbols. Or start at the map page and click on your favorite state to learn more about the demographics, history, and government. OMG, did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of California? Kindergarten Cop? When did this happen? ;-)

California facts
Bird: California valley quail
Tree: California redwood
Flower: golden poppy
Animal: California grizzly bear
Fish: California golden trout (why is this necessary?)
Colors: blue and gold
Song: "I Love you, California"
Motto: Eureka (I found it)
Nickname: Golden State
Entered the union: 1850, the 31st state

Compare to New York, where I was born and raised
Bird: bluebird
Tree: sugar maple
Flower: rose (awww)
Animal: beaver
Fish: brook trout
Gem: garnet
Insect: ladybug (awww. And also why?)
Song: "I Love New York"
Motto: Excelsior (ever upward)
Nickname: Empire State (like the Jay-Z song)
Entered the union: 1788, the 11th state

Day 6 - Tracked my run

Santa was nice enough to bring me a Nike+ Sportsband watch this Christmas. A very sleek gray and yellow polyurethane band with a small detachable piece that can be plugged into your USB port. With a tiny sensor in/on your shoe, it tracks mileage, pace, calories and time. And if you care to plug the mini computer into your real computer after your run, you can track your results against yourself or other people. Genius.


As an aside, Nike, like Apple, always makes such cool-looking products, right down to the packaging. Anyways, I'm sure you will be hearing more about my running adventures, as I plan to sign up for a race this spring. My new sportsband might actually keep me focused on training. MIGHT.

Day 5 – Created a logo

I am well aware that I am no artist. Drawing, pottery, most crafts = scary results. But I really wanted a new logo of sorts for my other blog. Not because my three followers demanded it, but I was looking for a change. As you can see, it is awesomely simple and did not require much skill. All of you graphic designers and talented artists are justified at laughing at it. But I am overwhelmingly happy with it due to my sad skills and proud that I gave it a shot. I will most likely change it in about a week.