Cheryl's Blog

Its been a challenging last few days.  I was sick over the weekend and it wasn't pleasant at all.  I think I ate something bad because I had pains in my stomach every night.  We were in Atlantic City and I decided to wait in the car in the parking garage for everyone to be finished gambling, I just wanted to lay down and be away from the bright lights and tons of people.  I didn't win any money but because I was sick I didn't lose any money either so thats the bright side of things.

My friend is back from her trip to Prague, Budapest and the Czech Republic.  I am so envious of her seeing more of the world, I definetly am a person with an urge to travel and see the world.  I have got to be more frugal with my money so I can plan a vacation also.  I am going to Canada next week so that is something to be excited about.  I just hope my stomach pains subside by then. 

There is a new project I am working on related to an internet credit card processing company .  There are so many internet-based businesses out there.  It seems like everyone has something they are peddling online, and this company provides an easy, fool-proof way of accepting credit cards from customers.  The internet marketing company I work for uses it, as a matter of fact.  This is very interesting to me because a while back I wanted to develop a website selling high-end pet products.  It was when high-end dog items were just becoming popular but I think the ship has sailed regarding this type of product, considering I think every little city near me has one now.  I wish I had known how easily I could set up a website for internet sales though.  Once you have a website set up, which isn't all that hard in this day and age, you sign up for a merchant account, which allows you to accept credit card payments online.

I'm gonna go try to get some other work done but I will probably be back later!

cheryl @ 10:25 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Well it has been a while since I last wrote.  I haven't been doing too much, I took Monday off of work which was nice.  I feel like I have so much stuff to do aside from work!  I just don't know how people who work even 9-5 get anything done as far as doctors appointments, getting shopping erands done, even keeping the house clean!  It is crazy!  There is so little time left to do anything productive at 5 o'clock.  And I get off of work at 3!  I guess I really need to think about where my time is going and if I am slugging around. 

I am going on vacation soon.  My boyfriend and I are going on a road trip.  Its for about 2 weeks time that we are gonna be going.  But we are not sure where we want to go even now, so soon before the trip!  We both have the feeling that we want to see more of the U.S., especially the cities in the South- New Orleans, Atlanta, I was pushing for Miami, I wanted to go as far as Texas or further.  The song 'Welcome to Miami' keeps running through my head (I have never been there). But heat is a big factor.  Since we will be in the car a lot of the time with the a/c running, John thinks his car will overheat.  Plus the price of gas will be that much higher with the AC on.  So then I guess we are thinking of going North, to Maine, Niagra Falls, Canada, etc.  It seems more boring to me, cause I was kind of pining for something glamarous, but I guess what is the point of going somewhere glamarous if you have been in the car for the past 2 days lol.  I just don't know if I am up for a huge hiking trip cause that is what I am imagining it will be like.

My company has been trying a new idea out of paying people to write articles for blogs, and I am considering signing up and writing up some stuff.  I know a lot about animals and pets so I am considering writing a few articles and picking up some extra cash.  I bet it would be pretty quick to write one about about something in the news too, although I don't know how much depth I would be able to get into.

I have to go pick up my textbooks by the end of the week to avoid the long lines.  I am so excited to start taking classes again!  I hope they are helpful.       

cheryl @ 09:15 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Well I went to my new gym for the first time, and I was supposed to have a nurse health evaluation consultation thing.  They just check your blood pressure and pulse and make sure you won't drop dead and sue them, I suppose.  So anyway, I filled out this health questionnaire, and, being dumb, casually checked off that I had a heart murmur cause once a random doctor was listening to my heart beat and said, casually, "Oh you have a slight heart murmur" and i said, 'really?  and he said, "yeah no big deal".  So the nurse guy (who was like 100 years old and made me touch his hairy arm while he was taking my pulse) freaked out about my heart murmur and told me I need to get my doctor's approval to work out.  Little does he know I have been working out there for 2 weeks under a free trial!  So he hands me something to fax to my doctor and i figure ok I will just keep cool and get this done, no problem.

Today, I called my physician's office and said I need the doctor to fill out some paper saying I can work out at my gym, and the receptionist says to me, "Sorry you are gonna have to come in for that." Then I say, well, I have had a physical in the past year.  And she said no, they are requiring people to make an office appointment for any forms from now on.  Is that ridiculous or what?  And people wonder why health care costs are astronomical in this country.  I don't even know when this policy changed, but it is idiotic, pure and simple.  I am definetly getting a new doctor, not to mention my doctor's office is like 40 minutes away and now I have to drive there for 5 frigging minutes after work.  I am really pissed off about this.  I wish I had the nerve to tell them off.

Today I have been submitting my site to dozens of blog directories and posting a lot on message forums, trying to learn more about blogging but also to gain exposure to the blog.  Its hard work!  I sometimes can't get over the idea that I have nothing much to write about.  I am waiting on writing on the real estate housing complexes until I have the last bit of info on The Excelsior building which I can't find info about anywhere.  I am also gonna start writing articles for a new blog on search engine optimization for my boss.  That should be interesting as the prior writers wrote some pretty technical stuff and I am no expert.  Did I mention my degree is in Psychology?

cheryl @ 13:33 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Ever since I came back to work at my marketing company my days have been dragging a bit.  Its hard writing articles on stuff that you are not that familiar with!  There is a ton of research to do and then just writing in general can be taxing if the words don't come quickly.  I have decided after all this I don't envy journalists, thats for sure!  Imagine having to write an article on something you know nothing about!  I can imagine trying to be a journalist, and of course you have to take any old position in the beginning, and can you imagine being assigned to the sports section and knowing nothing about sports!  Not to mention I am the type of person that only likes learning a ton about something that I have a huge interest in, otherwise its hard for me to be bothered.

So here is the article I wrote today on measuring windows for blinds (I'll update a link when article is published).  I borrowed a little bit from the information on the blind company we are working for- how many different ways can you write out instructions on measuring windows?? 

Yesterday I joined the gym finally and I am so excited to go there today and get my ID card and make an appointment with a trainer.

I have been assigned to work on a new project as well as the ones I am currently writing on.  This one is a real estate agent in Long Branch, NJ.  This is right up my ally, cause I still have an active real estate license and know a lot about the different aspects of buying and selling homes.  I worked on articles for the website yesterday- writing about different housing complexes in Long Branch: the Renaissance, Pier Village, and the Villas.  I must say, the places were so nice I want to move there myself!  I love some of the great towns in NJ- especially now that the state and towns have been putting a lot of work into building up waterfronts and having more to do.  Especially since housing is more affordable in Monmouth County compared to other areas of the state and nation, although I may have a warped sense of what is affordable given the real estate prices everywhere!      

cheryl @ 13:00 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Well I took the day off of work yesterday just to prolong my birthday a little longer. So here I am back to work and i have that brain fog where I am not sure what I was doing when I was last here and I don't know where to start.  So I decided to write a blog entry on my weekend since that is part of my job!  On my birthday I was on the beach most of the day and we also went jet-skiing, but the bay was really choppy and windy and the water kept splashing us in the face so bad we could barely see so we turned in the jet-ski's early.  It was a lot nicer on the ocean side of the island!  I happened to get a lot of gift cards this year, so I have a lot of shopping to do.  I get to pick out a new phone and buy some new gym clothes among other things.

I have been thinking a lot about money and my lack of it.  My biggest goal for this year is to pay off all my debt and start fresh with building up my savings and not having to worry about money.  One thing I am gonna pursue is making extra money on the internet here and there.  I am not at the expert level where I could make much yet, especially cause I don't have products to sell, but my boss is working on this new project where you can connect with companies who want to advertise on your blog site.  I don't have a ton of readership yet but I am hoping to get there eventually, and I signed up.

Well thats all for today, hope anyone reading this is having a good day!  

cheryl @ 09:29 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I have been so excited about this weekend!  Its my birthday weekend (my birthday is Sunday) and my boyfriend said we could do whatever my heart desires this weekend.  I don't have many big ideas but I definetly want to rent jet ski's one of the days.  I love when my birthday falls on a weekend cause I feel like the celebration gets stretched out into the whole weekend instead of just one day.  My best friend's birthday is today so after work the celebrations will begin lol.  The only little problem is that Sunday is also my grandmothers birthday (we are born on the same day) and she is turning 85!  So I didn't even know it was such a big milestone until yesterday and now I feel awful that the whole extended family isn't getting together for a huge celebration or something, but no one is.  My sister and I are gonna take her to lunch on Saturday but that is it.  It stinks I wish better planning had gone into the whole thing.

I have to admit I hope I get lots of thoughtful presents and I have a fun weekend!

cheryl @ 13:05 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I have been working on home decorating ever since I moved into my new home.  Since i live with a room-mate, its been hard to get things done in the main shared living areas, but I have significantly changed around my bedroom.  It used to be a drab dingy white with no careful arrangement of furniture but boy did I give it a complete makeover.  At first I couldn't decide if I wanted something really cheery like yellow or bright green, but then I decided I would get tired of that quickly and I wanted to steer away from a country kitsch look. So I decided to go with a warm chocolately brown.  Then I couldn't decide what color to paint my ceiling- I didn't know if brown was the right choice for my ceilings so I went with a warm off white.  Its kind of a big contrast so I painted some walls cream as well instead of just the ceiling.  Then I went for really crazy by painting my trim around the floors, doors and windows with the new Ralph Lauren metallics in bright gold.  Its looks fantastic- I wish I had the nerve to paint the entire room gold.  Then I bought a deep red bedspread set and a really nice sofa from IKEA. 

The only thing I haven't done, as I mentioned in a previous entry, was get around to buying blinds.  After doing a ton of research for the articles I have been writing, I think I am really ready.  I originally wanted ebony wooden blinds, but since I am on a really tight budget, I think I am gonna go for an off-white, almost beige roller blinds.  I think they add a unique look because I don't see them around as much anymore.  Plus my pets won't mess around with them too much.  I actually really want the color you see on that link there!  That looks so beautiful, especially with the plants and stuff.     

cheryl @ 12:12 | comments(0) | Permanent link

What a nice weekend!  I sure hope everybody reading enjoyed theirs as well.  Like many, I was lucky enough to get a five-day weekend cause I had off Monday as well as Tuesday.  I did plenty of fun things- I went to a barbecue on Saturday, Sunday we went to Atlantic City, Monday had a lovely day at the beach and went out to dinner at night, then on the 4th-of-July I hung around on the beach and just had a quiet time with my pets and the tv at night.  Today was a bit of a rude awakening to get back to work!  But I had a new task to work on today and I enjoyed getting in that 'zone' where I am working on something intently and am really focused on getting the job done. 

What I did today was look for information on window treatments like window blinds and shades and how to shop for blinds depending on what you are looking for.  Today I worked on an article on choosing blinds and shades for the bedroom.  When I first started out on the topic I wasn't sure how I would find anything different in choosing blinds for a bedroom compared to any other room- how different could the choices be?  You don't think about these kinds of things unless you are in the midst of a current decorating project or are looking for solutions to insomnia.  So I had to do a lot of internet research on the subject and I did find some important things to consider.  One is whether you want your room dark or bright in the morning.  If you have trouble getting a good nights sleep you would want your room to stay dark in the morning to get that extra bit of deep sleep.  For people who are early risers, they may want their blinds and shades that allow a lot of light in because they like to wake up to the rise of the sun.  This is definetly not for me- since I can't ever get to sleep at night I need all the extra sleep I can get!  I definetly wish I was the sort of person who could fall asleep early at night and slowly wake up when the sun rises and not feel groggy because of lack of sleep.

Also nowadays they have remotes for your blinds!  Who knew?  I, for one, love all the luxurious features coming out for household items like window blinds.  I'd love to be able to close the blinds while I am already in bed and laying down to go to sleep, or if I am watching TV in bed and don't want the glare on the television screen but am too lazy too get up out of bed. 

Today after work I have to get quite a few things done- I am starting on a diet so I have to go get some healthy food at the grocery store.  Also I have to get back into the gym, and if I have time I want to wash my bird's cage outside and give it a good cleaning.  I hope everyone had as pleasant a holiday weekend as I did!   

cheryl @ 12:32 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I've had a couple busy, productive days. My website marketing company I work for was closed on Friday and I was supposed to work from home, so I am getting some things accomplished today and on Tuesday when I get back from the shore. Unfortunately there was some mistake when I forwarded my office mail to my personal email account because I didn't get any of them. I don't know what happened I guess this is what happens what you aren't familiar with Microsoft Outlook. But luckily I remembered my blog admin address and so here I am typing up some of whats been happening with me.

I was looking around the internet to see what else is out there for me to do to get more benefits out of my blog. I have already signed up with my internet marketing service to get more traffic to my website and have more readership and comments and stuff.  Then I was noticing how on other people's blogs they have these banners advertising stuff like insurance and video games and stuff. Apparently the companies will pay you to display this stuff on your website, whether it is a regular old-fashioned website or a blog. Sometimes they pay depending on how many people click on their banner, and now they are doing it where they pay you per month or week and stuff. This second option seems like it would work out for me. Then I couldn't figure out how to find the companies who would pay to advertise on my site. This whole process reminds me of how those companies will pay you to paint a huge logo on your car- like they do with the Volkswagen Bugs and Cooper Mini's. So anyway, I stumbled across this internet advertising service which seems to do everything for me! So I am gonna sign up and see how it works out, hopefully someone would be interested in this site cause it is generating a surprising amount of traffic since I started publishing! Now I just have to get the reader's to comment so I can see what they think of my site and what they want to see more of.

Well I am gonna head out to a friend's barbecue tonite. Hopefully we will play some poker cause I was playing last nite with some friends of mine and I wound up winning the pot! It was the first time I have ever played Texas Hold 'Em besides just for fun with no betting.

Have a nice Fourth of July everyone!

cheryl @ 16:20 | comments(0) | Permanent link