Free Raleigh, NC Getaway contest

My friend Cass lives in North Carolina, and this would be a great way to get to visit her! Being a southerner myself, even though the word "North" is in the state's name, I know it's still a southern state, which makes it all the more attractive to me.

The last time I was in North Carolina, Danny and I were driving a truck up the coast so we really didn't get to stop and see the sites there. I remember going through Raleigh, but to win a FREE Raleigh Getaway would be so exciting!

For instance, I missed our local county fair due to work and no one to go with me. But a state fair is such a grand event, with entertainment, livestock shows, a rodeo, and other great attractions that being able to visit the 2007 N.C. State Fair would be the highlight of a trip for me. I love fairs, county or state, with all the activity and the food booths!

Yes, a Fall Getaway to Raleigh, especially if it's free, would be a great vacation trip for me. I'd want to stay a day or two longer, if possible, so I could have time to go see Cass and meet her great family, though. What would be the point of traveling all that way and not meeting a friend I've known online for a number of years?

According to their information, this trip would include:

• One night accommodations for two at the Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley

• $25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro

• Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners

• 2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre

• 2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism

• 2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences

Can you imagine taking in all those attractions? I can! And I can imagine having a ton of fun, too! So what are we waiting for? Let's enter the contest!

Website optimization

In this time of highly competitive business markets, none is more competitive for your consumer dollars than those businesses who operate in whole or in part on the internet. I've done lots of online shopping, and I am here to tell you that of the sites I shop, many are fiercely competing even for my few dollars.

However, when I'm in the market for something different to buy online, I resort to using a search engine to help me find just the product I want. This is where, for a business, the services of a website optimization firm would come in very handy. Using a firm such as this, a business can develop their online presence so that they are on the first page of searches a consumer might perform.

Even smaller businesses are seeking more website traffic so that they can be fully optimized and reach an ever growing customer base. It's not easy to do this on your own. Without the aid of a company that specializes in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), it's almost impossible for the Joe down the road to get his site ranked high enough for the consumer to find it, even if it's really the best deal going.

If you're engaged in an online business, and you're serious about your online footprint being as large as possible, then engaging website optimization services is really a must. They can help drive traffic to your site, help you set up a more productive website or blog, and in many ways be your right hand resource for growing your business.

Daycare providers

Many parents need to find safe, reliable daycare for their children. Sometimes, that's hard to do. Unless you have some special contacts, it can be nearly impossible to find exactly the kind of daycare your child needs. Perhaps, you only need occasional daycare. Or maybe you need full-time daycare because both parents are in the workforce.

Now there is a free site that's dedicated to helping parents and daycare providers come together for exactly the type of daycare needed. Daycare Bear is a new service where providers can list their services for free. Parents can also join for free to find a provider. In addition to this valuable service, they also have articles parents can read to help them make good choices when it comes to selecting an appropriate daycare provider. They teach parents how to ask the right questions of the providers.

Daycare Bear does not screen providers. That's always up to the parents. This free service is set up so you can locate providers in your geographical area, then the parents will screen them according to their own standards and philosophies.

Remodel contest

The house I'm currently residing in just isn't even worth remodeling. It's just an old mobile home and it's in need of a lot of repairs - more than the whole thing is worth, I think. My dream is to live in a cabin, though not too far from town. There is a place near here that actually sells cabins and the price is right, but they are unfinished on the inside. That's where a remodel would come in, I think. Even better, a free remodel!

If you have a place that needs remodeling, it would be worth your time to take a look at RemodelingMySpace.com and check out their Remodel, Blog & Win contest. You can win $5000. The winner will be based on judgments by a panel of experts who will decide things like the best use of materials, best design, and best blog about the project. You tell your story about your remodel project and be as creative as you like. You can even use professionals to do the work for you, if you want.

Even if you don't win the $5,000, you could still win $1,000 People's Choice award from the number of votes you get from visitors to your blog. In addition to the cash prizes, of course, you can benefit in other ways through increased traffic to your blog or get $250 from a random voter award which will consist of a drawing from registered and eligible contest voters.

Read more about the contest and the requirements. Who knows? You could be the next big winner!

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Best computer supplies prices

I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with being a loyal consumer when shopping at a given store, either a brick-and-mortar store or online. However, there comes a time when the budget must win over the loyalty so that your dollars are spent wisely and stretched to the limit.

At SuppliesUSA.com, you can get your computer supplies online for very good prices. I checked out the price for original equipment ink cartridges for one of my printers and found it to be at a far deeper discount than at the local office supplies store I usually buy from. All SuppliesUSA.com sells is original equipment items. They don't sell all kinds of office supplies, like furniture, pencils, or paper clips. They only sell cartridges, papers, and projector lamps. This focus makes it possible for them to offer up to 38% discounts on their items.

Orders received by 4:00 PM are processed that same day and shipped out. That's 4:00 PM your local time! Since they have 14 warehouses across the nation, this makes the quick processing and fast shipping possible. This works not only for printer supplies but for media such as CD-ROMs and tape systems.

Since you're here, reading this, why not click the link up there and check them out for yourself? This is another one worth bookmarking.

Spy software

Keeping people on the up and up can sometimes be difficult. In my job, for instance, there are cameras located everywhere for safety issues and to keep employees from stealing, and to confirm an employee's version of any incident in the store. It's all taped but with no sound. Along with that, the computer in the break room is used both for training and to allow employees on the internet. I don't know, but I suspect they have spy software installed on that to prevent any illegal activities or other things from going on in there.

While this spy software is often used in the workplace, it's also used in a lot of homes to keep track of what users, especially teens, are viewing on the internet. You don't want to invade privacy, but you want to keep your child safe from predators, so this application becomes necessary today to help you as the parent keep up with what your child is doing when you're not watching.

This software can record a history of web visits and it can record passwords so that you, the parent, can take a look at the kinds of things your child may be saying or what others may be saying to her. As a parent, this becomes ever more important when you consider the instances of internet bullying or inappropriate conversations between your child and others out there. Your child may be being deceived by an internet monster.

K-laser treatment

If I were in Iowa, I might be able to visit the Harrington Chiropractic, PC and Laser Therapy Center and get some relief from my chronic back pain. Dr. Phil Harrington has introduced Class IV laser therapy to residents of Iowa. He is a pioneer in this regard.

K-laser treatment is groundbreaking in that it can help more people who are dealing with chronic pain as the result of post-surgical back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain, and knee pain as well as other conditions that produce pain. I've had a herniated disk and would love to have some relief from the recurring pain I get from that old injury.

The type of laser instrument he uses would fit into a suitcase, unlike the old, large units. As you can see from the pictures below, the unit is handheld and portable. Yet, this is extremely effective in that it will penetrate several inches into the body. The unit is also less expensive than the old ones. That translates into savings for the patient undergoing treatment. Not only that, but the patient suffers no side effects from the treatment.

Doctors, and patients, can find out more by visiting www.iowalaserdoctor.com and reading up on this particular treatment.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last year on this day it was the first Valentine's Day in 21 years that I spent without my husband. It was a very sad day for me. However, Brandon bought me a single red rose. Yes, it made me cry. It was just about the most tender and thoughtful thing he has ever done and it both blessed my heart and broke it at the same time.

That's the kind of effect anyone can have when they decide to send roses to someone they love. Someone who is far away. Someone who is lonely. Someone who needs desperately to know that another person cares about them and is thinking about them.

Do you have someone like that in your life? Your mother. Your daughter. Your sister. A very close and dear friend. Someone who just needs a lift on this day for lovers. Even a single rose is enough to reach deep - right to the recipient's heart - and pull them out of the sadness they may be feeling.

What are you waiting for? Send flowers before this day is over. If nothing else, call person or send a personal note by email. You're sure to do some good.

Java, Joe, Mud

Can you guess what I'm doing right now? You know me too well. Yes, I'm on the computer and drinking a cup of coffee. This is one beverage, other than sweet iced tea, that I drink year round no matter what the weather is like. Is it healthful? There are studies that say it's not. But there are other studies that say it's just fine - go ahead and drink coffee.

Maybe in order to ease my burdened mind over this, I should start using a more healthful product. I know I can get The World's First Healthy Coffee online. They state that this coffee is actually good for you and that it's genuine Brazilian coffee - not a coffee substitute. Those are two points that already make it attractive to me.

You can get a package of coffee that will make 90 cups for $20. Considering the added nutritional value, that's a pretty good deal. That's what makes these coffees and teas special.

You know, it might not be a bad idea at all to get some of this. I know I'm not getting everything I need in what I eat, and this black coffee has Ganoderma Lucidum Extract (Reishi) in it. The nutritional information says it also has

• Calcium (Ca): 5.43mg
• Iron (Fe): 0.13mg
• Potassium (K): 8.4mg
• Protein: 491mg
• Vitamin C: 2.18mg
• Vitamin B3: 0.98mg

The coffee I usually drink hasn't got any of that.

The debt trap

That's a trap I do NOT want to fall into. Yet, as things stand now, I may have to go into debt for a new place to live. See, I really need to be closer to work and I'd really like to have a home that's easier upkeep for me and maybe has more room.

If it was available in this country instead of just the UK, I might qualify for poor credit loans. There are some things in my credit history that are, well, not so good. Plus, I've never had any kind of secured loans in my own name.

The truth is, I've never had any loans, secured loans or unsecured loans, in my own name. Here I am at age 55 and I'm basically just starting out in this kind of thing, except for the credit damage associated with the times during my married life.

If I could and thought I could acquire it, though, I'd look into mortgages to see how that might work out to get me into a house. A real house. A house with a yard. A house with ROOM! A house that didn't take me 30 minutes driving time to go to work from.

Is that too much to ask?

Belisi radio

You just have to love a guy who's willing to step out and into new areas. Belisi, whom you already know as a fashion designer that I really like a lot, now has a radio station. It plays a pretty good mix of music genres so there's something there to appeal to just about everyone.

Along with Peter Belisi's flair for beautiful accessories such as men's ties, women's scarves and purses, and the ways to complete an outfit, he also has a serious gift for entrepeneur-ism. I don't know if that's even a word, but it fits him to a "T". I've already applied his fashion tips to my own wardrobe and have gotten a lot of compliments. Now he has radio, and I just imagine in the not-too-distant future we'll be seeing him on television as well.

His bio is already pretty amazing, and the fact that a portion of his sales are given to charity tells me his head is on straight. I'm checking out Belisi Radio right now, and I recommend it to you as well. Just like his fashion sense, the music on his radio station is classic and sophisticated without being stuffy.

Antivirus software

When we bought this computer it had a trial of an antivirus software program already installed. When the trial period was up, I downloaded the free AVG antivirus, and it seems to be working ok.

My sister, on the other hand, has used a Norton Antivirus program for as long as she's had her computers. First, with the old computer and now with her newest one. She's completely satisfied with the operation of the program and how it protects her computer. Since she's a photojournalist, you can well imagine that she needs her computer to remain virus free so she can send articles and digi photos to the newspaper and the regional news paper that is published weekly. This is part of her income and she absolutely cannot afford to have anything on her computers lost.

I learned while reading the Norton Antivirus 2007 Reviews & other info that CNET gives Norton Antivirus a very good rating for its speed and effectiveness, while being "lighter" on your system than it previously was. Their own internal performance review says that it takes up less memory, scans faster, and boots faster, too.

Once, quite a few years ago, I didn't have antivirus protection and opened an email from our pastor then opened the attachment. It was the happy99 virus! Yikes! I wound up spending a lot of money at the computer place getting that out of the system, and I bought virus protection while I was there. I could have saved a bundle if I'd had it to start with.

Look over the Norton products. If you don't have virus protection on your computer right now, you're really gambling with your machine and your data. Protect it.

What shape is your credit card in?

I mean that literally. Have you ever wondered why credit cards are rectangular and not some other shape? I always just figured it was to make them fit in the wallet better. But maybe the wallet's been made to accommodate credit cards.

Regardless, I know I've seen those little keychain credit cards but I haven't seen too many of them. I guess people like their plastic larger. Now, the Bank of Scotland has come out with a credit card that's not a lot different except it has a corner cut off. Perhaps this is a step in a new direction where the bottom edge of the card could have some design to it.

They are the first to change the shape of their credit card in 37 years, plus they offer UK users some good deals besides the new configuration. They offer 0% interest rates on balance transfers and new purchases until December 2007.

They also offer gift credit cards, which is a way to preload a credit card with funds and give it to someone for a gift instead of the usual store gift card. That way, the recipient shops at the store of their choice instead of your choice. It comes in the new shape just like the regular credit cards.

I wonder what else they'll be doing to the shape of credit cards in the future?

Who's on the phone?

At least a couple of times a week, I get calls on my cell phone but I don't recognize the numbers. Generally, I simply don't answer it. The times I have, it's been a wrong number or computer recording trying to sell me something.

For those times I just don't answer, Cellular Reverse Lookup could come in very handy. At least I could find out for sure if it was someone I really do know so I can call them back.

Nissan Skyline enthusiasts

If you are a huge fan of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, you may want to pay attention here. No, it's not bad news. It's very good news for you. Anyone who owns, is planning to own, or just plain likes this new car can get online and discuss it at a forum just for you. Nissan Skyline GT-R forums gives you a free community for talking about this beautiful car. You can even talk about the mechanical parts of the car there!

I'm not very mechanically minded, but I think even I could get some good use from a site like this. Besides, who wouldn't want a car like that? It's slick. It's stylish. It's just plain gorgeous. It would be easy to be an enthusiast.

Heads up, cheapskates!

Here's another site for deals and bargains that you might want to take a close look at. It's Wubee.com and they seem to have nearly endless lists of bargains, online deals, and just plain thrifty shopping you can get yourself involved in.

Take a good look through Deals and Bargains and I just about guarantee you'll find something you can use. I'm needing printer ink and usually buy from 123inkjets.com. Great news! They have some bargains for me there!

There are also deals and bargains at Walmart, Buy.com, Amazon, and dozens of other familiar places you and I have shopped online at.

Web Statistics

This is kind of neat. I just signed up for a service that gives you web stats for your site. It's aimed at bloggers but anyone could use it on their website. You register and login, place the code on your site homepage, then after a few minutes you can get information from that point on about who visited your site, how many visits, and how long they stayed at your site. There's other neat stuff you can learn about your site, too. This service gives you a pretty focused picture on many aspects of site visiting. I've already added it to Zoo Talk and it's already generating information!

Just go to Clicky Web Statistics and start your own account. It's a good way to measure your success online and to know what to adjust about your site so that it's being accessed more.

Business idea

You all know I'm always interested in new or unique ways to have a business or generate income. Some are really good. Others, not so much.

Since Elizabeth works for an eye doctor, she got me two pairs of glasses for Christmas. Both are very stylish and I'm really enjoying using them. I was thinking, on my way to work the other evening, that I wished I had some stylish sunglasses, too. The ones I have are cheapie, dollar store ones that do nothing for me as far as appearance. I'm not terribly vain, but I also don't intentionally try to look weird.

So now, I'm wondering if I could get involved with CTS Wholesale Sunglasses and kill two birds with one stone. First, I could satisfy that constant urge I have to own a business. Two, I could have some really cute sunglasses for myself, too.

For the business end of it, I'd need to secure a location. A kiosk or some corner in a local store or at the new shopping center. I'd also need to operate this business firsthand or enlist the kids or others to work for me. Lots to think about! The owner of this enterprise, Kirk Bachelder, is willing to guide me or anyone else who wants to get started in this business. It'd sure be worth the time to inquire about the details, the location of the business, and the start-up costs.

Business lead generation

All under one roof, Lead Maverick supplies leads and links for businesses that have low page ranks. They allow the customer to post an article about their business, insert 12 different types of content which can include such things as podcasts, PDFs, and PowerPoints through their WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. Then they create a unique RSS file for the customer. When everything is established, they even provide detailed click/view reporting.

What else is unique and great about this service? They do it all for free. Yes, you can get a paid subscription to the service where you won't see any ads, but the basic service is totally free and you get all the advantages of paid services. Finally, a business to business internet directory whose focus is on the business operator. One where the customer is more important to them than their own home page.

This is search engine marketing at its best for the smaller online business owner, since they often don't have the budget for costly marketing firms. This gives us little guys a chance to have all our information residing on the pages for our own particular content and not on the home page of the service.

I'm wondering if this is a tool even I can use for my blog about the book I wrote?

Giants among us

Well, not exactly among US. And I'm talking about the baseball team, not tall people anyway. The San Francisco Giants (didn't they used to be the New York Giants?), to be exact. You can get Giants Spring Training tickets online and take a little vacation out to Arizona to watch them as they train. Sounds like a sweet deal to me since I do like baseball so much. And Arizona would be a lot warmer than Arkansas at this time of the year, too. Yet another reason to plan a bit of travel, don't you think?

I've got to think that even if you're not an avid baseball fan, something as unique as this would still be appealing. You can see a famous baseball team, see the sites of the area, and just generally relax. Maybe you (or I) could even meet some ball players and get some autographs.